Prevalence of depression and its association with health-related quality of life in people with heart failure in low- and middle-income countries: a protocol for systematic review

BackgroundHeart failure is a serious clinical burden with variety of physical and emotional symptoms such as fatigue, reduced functional capacity, edema, dyspnea and depression. These symptoms limit patients daily physical and social activities, which reduce their health-related quality of life. The objective of this systematic review is to estimate the prevalence of depression and its association with HRQoL in people living with heart failure in LMICs. MethodsThe primary outcome is the prevalence of depression in people with heart failure. The secondary outcome is association of depression with health-related quality of life. Comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and JBI EBP databases will be conducted to identify relevant studies. The methodological quality of each article will be assessed using a JBI critical appraisal instruments. A random-effects model using the DerSimonian and Laird method will be employed to estimate the regional prevalence. Heterogeneity across the studies will be assessed by Cochrane Q test and I2 statistic. A funnel plot and Egger s test will be used for assessing publication bias. This protocol is developed in accordance with the JBI methodology for systematic reviews. All statistical analyses will be performed using STATA version 17 software. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines 2020 will be followed for reporting the results. DiscussionThis systematic review will provide up-to-date high-quality evidence on the impact of depression and inform healthcare policymakers on effective ways to improve care for this population in LMICs. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42022361759.