| Sumario: | Objective: The aim of this systematic review is twofold: firstly, to identify the practice changes and interventions that have been adopted and implemented by community‐based health and social care organisations to ensure service continuity; and second, to explore high‐quality research‐driven recommendations regarding the development, implementation and evaluation of service continuity interventions. Methods: This systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Eight databases were searched: Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science and EBSCOhost. Eligible studies were published between January 2000 and August 2022 and primarily focussed on service continuity support initiatives of community‐based health and social care organisations in various natural hazard and health‐related emergencies. Methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Mixed‐Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Thematic analysis of data was conducted. Results: Out of 3195 articles, 35 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis identified that interventions focussed on seven key domains to ensure service continuity: 1. Development or implementation of emergency preparedness and response plans; 2. emergency preparedness of healthcare workers (e.g., training and education); 3. asset mapping or resource management; 4. response strategies (e.g., practice changes, transition to virtual care); 5. workforce health and well‐being; 6. infrastructural and operational resilience; and 7. assessment of e‐health readiness. The findings highlight that community organisations implemented these interventions using their existing capacity, while some required external support. Furthermore, most interventions were reactionary and adopted in response to or during the recovery phase. Conclusion: A comprehensive emergency preparedness plan that outlines service continuity planning for various emergency events will enable more efficient, context‐specific emergency management. This plan should also encompass collaborative activities across various sectors to ensure shared responsibility, enhanced communication and efficient resource management. Future studies could examine the association between organisational characteristics (e.g., type, size and service delivery mode) and intervention effectiveness.
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