Unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Abstract Background Unintended pregnancies pose a severe threat to the well-being of HIV-positive women and their unborn children. Factors contributing to the high incidence of unintended pregnancies include contraceptive failure, low uptake of contraceptives, and misuse of contraceptives. Despite various contraceptive options, an increased incidence of unintended pregnancies is rampant among HIV-positive women in the region of sub-Saharan Africa. This study seeks to present evidence of unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, including those using contraceptives. Method This study entails a scoping review to survey and interrogate the literature to provide evidence for the incidence of unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women in sub-Saharan Africa. A proposed framework by Arksey and O’Malley will guide this scoping review. Peer-reviewed articles which address the research questions will constitute the main search. Electronic databases such as EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, World of Science, World Health Organization (WHO) library databases, Science Direct, Google Scholar PubMed, and gray literature search will be involved. Reference list from studies included will also be searched. The investigation of articles will be done employing keywords from the studies included. The inclusion and exclusion criteria will guide two separate reviewers with the screening of abstracts and full papers. To summarize the findings from this review, thematic content analysis will be done using NVivo version 11. Discussion We expect that this review will add to the current body of knowledge on the incidence of unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women, identify gaps for further future research, and show evidence that may contribute to strengthening the health system’s regulations, guidelines, and policies that may help prevent unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women. Systematic review registration 10.17605/OSF.IO/EY3R5