Familiarity in Rural Life: Protocol for a Scoping Review and Concept Analysis

BACKGROUND: Familiarity is a concept often used in literature but is not well defined or understood. As a key concept in rural nursing theory, the conceptual understanding of familiarity is currently incomplete. The findings from this scoping review will inform a concept analysis using Walker and Avant’s method and to identify and define the missing key components of familiarity. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to examine and analyze what is known in the existing literature about the concept of familiarity. METHODS: The Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework guided the identification of literature published from 2016 to 2022 on familiarity. Following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) reporting standard, the familiarity scoping review is registered on Open Science Framework (registration digital object identifier: 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZB8VF). A total of 8 databases, including PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) Plus with full text, APA PsychInfo, Communication Source, EBSCO MegaFILE, Medline, Nursing & Allied Health Database, and ScienceDirect, will be searched for 22 search terms. Covidence software will be used to manage the scoping review with each citation independently reviewed by 2 research team members for eligibility. Eligibility will be determined using a 2-level process. Each title and abstract will be screened for eligibility; for citations deemed eligible, a full-text article review will be conducted. The scoping review is expected to locate a large body of literature, and eligibility criteria will be refined during the title and abstract screening process. In addition, reference list scanning will be performed to locate relevant literature. RESULTS: Familiarity data will be collected beginning October 2021 with anticipated completion in March 2022. Dissemination of findings will occur through scholarly presentations and in rural-focused and nursing publications in 2022 or 2023. The findings from this review will further the understanding of familiarity and how it affects rural life and nursing practice. CONCLUSIONS: This review will support a full understanding and add clarity to the concept of familiarity as a component of rural life. These new insights will advance the understanding of how familiarity influences rural health care practice. The concept analysis will provide theoretical support for rural nursing theory and promote an understanding of the interrelationships of rural concepts. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/36930