title: Protocol for a systematic review of screening tools for fear of recurrent illness in common life-threatening diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A myocardial infarction (MI) ('heart attack') can be intensely stressful, and the impact of this event can leave patients with clinically significant post-MI stress symptoms. Untreated stress can make heart disease worse. Few tools are available that screen for specific thoughts or beliefs that can trigger post-MI stress responses. In other life-threatening illnesses, fear of recurrence (FoR) of illness has been identified as a key stressor, and screening tools have been developed to identify this. The aim of this review is to identify FoR screening tools used in other common life-threatening diseases that report on the development of the tool, to assess if there are any that can be adapted for use in MI survivors so that those with high levels of FoR can be identified and helped.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review will evaluate full FoR screening tools and methods of measurement used in common life-threatening disease clinical populations. The Campbell and Cochrane Libraries, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS), Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Knowledge, Health and Psychosocial Instruments and SCOPUS databases will be searched for relevant studies published from database inception. Reference lists and published reviews/meta-analyses will also be searched. All titles and abstracts will be screened and relevant full-text versions retrieved by two reviewers, who will then extract all the data. Each will independently review all data extracted by the other. Selected studies will also be assessed by two independent researchers using the COnsensus-based standards for the Selection of health status measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist and other quality criteria. This will be done to evaluate the degree to which their measurement properties meet the standards for good methodological quality. Disagreement will be resolved through consensus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Untreated post-MI stress has a considerable psychological and physical impact on MI survivors. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop a screening tool to identify fear of recurrent MI so that those affected can be identified and directed to appropriate support interventions. This proposed research will enable a tool to be developed and adapted for use in the MI survivor patient population.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  
  CRD42014010500.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK. jenny.jones@plymouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Stirling, Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3JH, UK. pdk00001@students.stir.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Highland Health Sciences Library, Centre for Health Science, Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3JH, UK. robert.polson@stir.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Polson
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Stirling, Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3JH, UK. stephen.leslie@nhs.net.|Highland Heartbeat Centre, Cardiology Unit, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, IV2 3UJ, USA. stephen.leslie@nhs.net.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Leslie
authors.affiliation: Chester Research Unit for the Psychology of Health, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, UK. n.hulbertwilliams@chester.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Hulbert-Williams
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie, Hospital Laval, Québec, Canada. sebastien.Simard@criucpq.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simard
authors.affiliation: University of St Andrews, School of Medicine, St Andrews, KY16 9TF, UK. go10@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gozde
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ozakinci
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Stirling, Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3JH, UK. gill.hubbard@stir.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hubbard
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000523:psychology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology; D012008:Recurrence; D012107:Research Design; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic