Sexually Transmitted Infections among Key Populations in India: A Protocol for Systematic Review

Background Sexually 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 per cent. 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 worker (FSW). Objectives In 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. Methods All 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 with the help of the Funnel plot and Newcastle - Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Conclusion The future systematic review, which will be 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. 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