# Silence in physician clinical practice: a scoping review protocol

## TL;DR

This study aims to explore how silence is used and understood in doctor-patient interactions through a comprehensive review of existing literature.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a systematic mapping of how silence is discussed in physician-patient clinical interactions.

## Key findings

- The review will describe how silence is perceived and utilized in clinical settings.
- It will identify factors influencing the use of silence during physician-patient interactions.
- Findings will guide the development of educational initiatives on clinical silence.

## Abstract

The objective of this review is to map, describe and conceptualize how silence is discussed within literature on interactions between physicians and patients, in clinical settings.

We will use the methodological framework of Arksey & O’Malley, adapted by Levac et al and Joanna Briggs Institute. Empirical studies including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, observational studies and reviews will be included. Commentaries, editorials, and grey literature will also be examined. The databases MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science will be searched. A two-part study selection strategy will be applied. First, reviewers will follow inclusion and exclusion criteria based on ‘Population-Concept-Context’ framework to independently screen titles and abstracts. Next, full texts will be screened. Data will be extracted, collated, and charted to summarize methods, outcomes and key findings from the articles included. Findings will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. (PRISMA-ScR).

This scoping review will provide an extensive description of how physicians engage with silence in clinical settings. Findings will identify how silence is perceived in physician patient interactions, the roles it plays, what factors influence use of silence and guide development of educational initiatives on use of silence in clinical settings.