Youth Care Stories: A Scoping Review Into What, Why and How Narrative Approaches Understand and Improve Quality of Care for Young People.

introductionNarrative approaches are increasingly used to capture the experiences of young people and parents with care services. These approaches are thought to be inclusive and participatory, opening up new perspectives on care quality and its improvement. This scoping review explores the use, rationale, benefits, and challenges of narrative approaches in understanding the quality of care for young people and their families.

methodsA scoping review was conducted, searching PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, Pubmed, Social Services Abstracts and International Bibliography of the Social Sciences from inception to March 2022. The review targeted studies employing narrative approaches, particularly creative and participative methods, to explore the quality of care for youngsters and parents. Data from 28 studies were extracted, coded, and thematically analysed.

resultsVarious narrative approaches were identified, employing diverse forms of expression and participation. These approaches aimed to reveal new insights into care quality from the perspectives of youth and their parents, in addition to dominant professional views. Moreover, narrative approaches are utilised to foster participant reflection, for empowerment and the creation of customised services. Nevertheless, there are persistent concerns about representation, power dynamics and the potential for effecting change.

conclusionNarrative approaches contribute to a comprehensive understanding of care quality. However, reflection and further research are required to explore how narrative approaches foster inclusivity, participation, and improvement of care. PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Members of client/patient organisations were part of the research consortium and contributed to the review setup and the interpretation of findings.