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Published on: January 24, 2025
Barriers and Facilitators Affecting Access to Health Care for People With Syphilis: Protocol for a Scoping Review
Rafaela Bezerra Façanha Correia1, Rafaela Prudlik Mourad2, Janmilli da Costa Dantas3
1Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Disorders, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Background:
Syphilis is a systemic, preventable, and curable infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Despite being treatable, syphilis continues to have a high incidence, with a resurgence observed even in countries with strong health surveillance systems. This highlights the need to understand the various strategies used globally to improve access to care for individuals with syphilis.
Objective:
This scoping review aims to identify and map the barriers and facilitators affecting access to health care for people with syphilis.
Methods:
This scoping review will follow the methodology outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The search will be conducted across several databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, LILACS (Virtual Health Library), and CINAHL (EBSCO). In addition, sources of unpublished studies or gray literature will be explored. Studies focusing on access to health care for individuals with syphilis will be included, regardless of geographic location, country, or language. Two independent reviewers will assess the results, and data will be extracted using a tool specifically developed for this review. The extracted quantitative data will be presented in tables and analyzed using descending hierarchical classification, represented by a class dendrogram. Barriers and facilitators will be categorized into dimensions of access.
Results:
Database searching began in October 2024. Full-text screening and review are expected to be completed in December 2024. Data extraction and analysis are expected to be completed by February 2025, and the final report will be completed in March 2025.
Conclusions:
The findings of this scoping review, guided by this protocol, will elucidate the main barriers and facilitators that affect access to syphilis treatment. This study may contribute to the practices of health professionals, managers, and the academic community, and provide relevant information for the population.
Trial Registration:
Open Science Framework Registries osf.io/kpsab; https://osf.io/kpsab.
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
PRR1-10.2196/63561.
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