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Lookup NU author(s): Megan Brown
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 Kelly et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Objective: 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. Methods: 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). Expected results and implications: 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.
Author(s): Kelly MA, Rivera S, McClurg C, Sweeney C, Mosca S, McLeod E, Bennett D, Brown M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: PLoS One
Year: 2026
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Online publication date: 17/03/2026
Acceptance date: 23/01/2026
Date deposited: 30/03/2026
ISSN (electronic): 1932-6203
Publisher: Public Library of Science
URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307620
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307620
Data Access Statement: This is a protocol for a literature review. All data reported in our literature review will already be in the public domain.
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