Table 1 Eligibility criteria
Criterion | Include | Exclude |
|---|---|---|
Population | Adults aged 18 + with a life-limiting illness [e.g., advanced cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)] with a focus on ethnic minorities Receiving palliative care from generalists or specialists’ providers Taking medicines for symptom control | Studies carried out on people below the age of 18 People who are not receiving palliative care People who are not taking medicines to control end-of-life symptoms |
Intervention | Palliative care prescribing of symptom control drugs e.g., pain, agitation, nausea/vomiting | Non-prescribing practices or interventions Disease modifying drugs |
Comparator | Comparison of prescribing practices across different ethnic groups, e.g., access to pain medication or symptom management | No comparison across different ethnic groups |
Outcomes | Ethnic disparities in palliative care prescribing for symptom control | Outcomes not related to disparities in prescribing practices |
Study design | Randomised control trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional (retrospective or prospective) | Case studies, qualitative studies, reviews, editorials |
Setting | Studies conducted in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) high-income countries | Studies conducted in non-OECD countries or low- and middle-income countries |
Publication type | Peer-reviewed journal articles Articles published from 2000 onwards | Abstracts only, conference proceedings, dissertations, books, grey literature Articles published before 2000 |
Language | Studies published in English | Studies published in languages other than English |