Understanding the implementation (including women's use) of maternity waiting homes in low-income and middle-income countries: a realist synthesis protocol.

Introduction: Maternity waiting homes in low-income and middle-income countries provide accommodation near health facilities for pregnant women close to the time of birth to promote facility-based birth and birth with a skilled professional and to enable timely access to emergency obstetric services when needed. To date, no studies have provided a systematic, comprehensive synthesis explaining facilitators and barriers to successful maternity waiting home implementation and whether and how implementation strategies and recommendations vary by context. This synthesis will systematically consolidate the evidence, answering the question, 'How, why, for whom, and in what context are maternity waiting homes successfully implemented in low-income and middle-income countries?'.

Development of a program theory for shared decision-making: a realist synthesis.

Background: Shared Decision-making (SDM), a medical decision-making model, was popularized in the late 1980s in reaction to then predominate paternalistic decision-making, aiming to better meet the needs of patients. Extensive research has been conducted internationally examining the benefits of SDM implementation; however, existing theory on how SDM works, for whom, in which circumstances, and why is limited. While literature has shown positive patient, health care provider, and system benefits (SDM outputs), further research is required to understand the nuances of this type of decision-making.

Trust and world view in shared decision making with indigenous patients: A realist synthesis.

Introduction: How shared decision making (SDM) works with indigenous patient values and preferences is not well understood. Colonization has affected indigenous peoples' levels of trust with institutions, and their world view tends to be distinct from that of nonindigenous people. Building on a programme theory for SDM, the present research aims to refine the original programme theory to understand how the mechanisms of trust and world view might work differently for indigenous patients.

Development of a program theory for shared decision-making: a realist review protocol.

Background: The practicality of applying evidence to healthcare systems with the aim of implementing change is an ongoing challenge for practitioners, policy makers, and academics. Shared decision- making (SDM), a method of medical decision-making that allows a balanced relationship between patients, physicians, and other key players in the medical decision process, is purported to improve patient and system outcomes. Despite the oft-mentioned benefits, there are gaps in the current literature between theory and implementation that would benefit from a realist approach given the value of this methodology to analyze complex interventions.