Impact of employment support in different work environments on individuals with intellectual disability and their families from their own perspectives: protocol for a systematic review of qualitative evidence

IntroductionPeople with intellectual disability experience lower levels of employment than those with other disabilities and those without disability, and typically require support services to access and maintain employment. Reviews on employment support often focus on the perspectives of providers and employers, meaning that, thus far, the perspectives of people with intellectual disability and their family members have not been collated and synthesised. This review will address this evidence gap.Methods and analysisSix databases (CINAHL, EconLit, EMBASE, Medline Complete, PsychINFO, Web of Science) will be comprehensively searched for the last 20 years to identify English-language, peer-reviewed publications including primary qualitative data. Search results will be independently screened by three reviewers (CP, NM, SF). Backwards and forwards citation tracing will be used to identify any additional literature not found by the searches. A narrative summary of the included studies will be provided. Study characteristics such as research focus, design, setting and findings will be independently extracted by one reviewer, checked by a second. Methodological quality will be independently evaluated by two reviewers using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Studies Checklist. Findings from the studies will be collated using thematic synthesis and a realist approach. Any disagreement during the review process will be resolved by a third reviewer.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required to conduct the planned systematic review of peer-reviewed, published articles because the research does not involve human participants. Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at leading disability conferences and disseminated via website postings and social media channels.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42024615393.