Factors that impact on the use of mechanical ventilation weaning protocols in critically ill adults and children: A qualitative evidence-synthesis

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To enhance and extend the recent Cochrane effectiveness review of protocolized weaning (Blackwood 2010) by synthesizing evidence from qualitative research to identify contextual factors that impact on the use of ventilator weaning protocols for critically ill adults and children. The research questions we will address are as follows. 1. Which contextual factors may have contributed to the heterogeneity in effect sizes of the randomized controlled trials included in the Blackwood (2010) review on protocolized weaning? (enhancing the review). 2. Which contextual factors (facilitators and barriers) may have an impact on the effective use of protocols for weaning critically ill adults and children from mechanical ventilation? (extending the review).