Experiences of parents and prospective parents when receiving a diagnosis of Down syndrome for their child in the perinatal period: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to synthesize qualitative evidence regarding the experiences of parents and prospective parents when receiving a diagnosis of Down syndrome for their child in the perinatal period.

Introduction: Increased awareness of parental experiences when receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis for their child may help health care professionals provide the parental support needed to promote the best possible outcomes for these children.

Inclusion Criteria: The participants for this review are the parents and prospective parents of a child with Down syndrome. The phenomenon of interest is parents' and prospective parents' experiences when receiving the diagnosis of Down syndrome for their child in the perinatal period. Experiences of prospective parents, parents whose children are living or deceased, and those who terminated a pregnancy because of the diagnosis will be included.

Methods: This review will follow JBI methodology for qualitative reviews. The databases to be searched include Academic Search Premier, AccessPediatrics, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Sources of unpublished studies and gray literature will include ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Sciences and Engineering Collection, MedNar, National Association for Down Syndrome, Down Syndrome International, and WorldWideScience. Studies will be critically appraised by 2 independent reviewers. All studies, regardless of methodological quality, will be included. Data will be extracted by 2 independent reviewers. Findings will be pooled using the meta-aggregation approach. Where textual pooling is not possible, the findings will be presented narratively. The final synthesized findings will be graded according to the ConQual approach.

Systematic Review Registration Number: PROSPERO CRD42021250813.