Sexually transmitted infections among key populations in India: A protocol for systematic review

BackgroundSexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of the leading causes of health, and economic burdens in the developing world, leading to considerable morbidity, mortality, and stigma. The incidence and prevalence of the four curable STIs viz. syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis vary remarkably across different geographical locations. In India, the prevalence of four curable STI among general populations is in between 0 to 3.9 percent. However, it is assumed that STI prevalence is much higher among subpopulations practicing high-risk behaviour. Like men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender (TG), injecting drug users (IDU), and female sex workers (FSW). ObjectivesIn the present circumstances, a systematic review is necessary to integrate the available data from previously published peer-reviewed articles and published reports from several competent authorities to provide the prevalence and geographical distribution of the four curable STIs among the key population of India. MethodsAll available articles will be retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane database, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Global Health network using the appropriate search terms. The data will be extracted through data extraction form as per PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, study design) framework. Risk of bias and quality assessment will be performed according to the situation with the help of available conventional protocol. DiscussionThe future systematic review, generated from the present protocol, may provide evidence of the prevalence and geographical distribution of the four curable STIs among the key population of India. We hope that the findings of the future systematic review will strengthen the existing surveillance system in India, to determine the above-mention STIs prevalence among key populations in India.Protocol registration number: International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42022346470.

Automated summary

This passage introduces the importance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as a major health and economic burden in developing countries, with a focus on the variability of prevalence and geographical distribution of four curable STIs in India. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review by integrating available data from peer-reviewed articles and reports to provide prevalence and geographic distribution of the four curable STIs among key populations in India. The study will retrieve relevant articles from various databases and platforms, and extract data based on the PICOS framework, followed by risk of bias and quality assessment. The future systematic review is expected to strengthen the existing surveillance system in India and determine the prevalence of STIs among key populations.