Implementation science of pediatric palliative care in lower-middle-income countries in Southeast Asia: An integrative review
Jestoni D. Maniago, Floreliz V. Ngaya-An
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ABSTRACT
There is an ongoing development in the pediatric palliative care (PPC) program in Southeast Asia (SEA).
However, the implementation process has not been clearly understood among lower-middle-income countries
(LMICs) in this region. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize research about the implementation
process of 7 identified LMICs in the SEA: Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Philippines, Timor-Leste,
and Vietnam. An integrative review utilizing Whittemore and Knafiās five-stage process was employed. Electronic
searches of CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar (no year restriction) were conducted. From
7,599 articles retrieved, only 11 met the eligibility criteria. Each article was appraised for methodological quality
(QualSyst tool and AACODS checklist), and constant comparison methods were used. Two overarching themes
emerged in this review - the gaps in PPC standards, practice framework and guidelines and the PPC challenges
and implementation strategies. Understanding the implementation science of PPC among LMICs in the SEA
region addresses the gap between idealism and realism. It provides reliable information in the development of
strategic work plans that will improve the implementation process and promote the translation of EBIs into
practice significant to the quality of pediatric patient outcomes.
Keywords: adoption; innovation; health science; knowledge translation; patient care