Research on the barriers to accessing sexual healthcare for sexually diverse Muslim men: protocol for a scoping review

Abstract

IntroductionSexually diverse Muslim men are seen to be at a higher risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections due to their limited access to sexual healthcare services. We outline a protocol to conduct a scoping review of research on the barriers that may impede these men’s access to sexual healthcare.Methods and analysisTo conduct this scoping review, we will follow the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses’ extension for scoping reviews. To classify the barriers to sexual healthcare, we will employ Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model as a conceptual framework. We will conduct a literature search via Medline, Embase and Global Health (OVID); Scopus; CINAHL on EBSCOhost along with several other EBSCOhost databases (Academic Search Complete, Canadian Reference Centre, Alternative Press Index, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Social Work Abstracts) and Google Scholar, published until November 2023. Journal articles, published in the English language, describing quantitative and qualitative research on sexual healthcare access barriers for sexually diverse Muslim men will be included in the review. Commentaries and correspondences, along with grey literature including research reports and conference abstracts, as well as studies that do not include men with the Muslim faith, will be considered ineligible. Following screening of titles and abstracts, we will conduct a full-text screening to determine the final number of studies to be included in the review. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet will be used to extract study characteristics, and information on sexual healthcare access barriers will be classified according to the socioecological model’s core concepts.Ethics and disseminationOur review does not require ethics approval. We will disseminate the review findings through peer-reviewed academic journals, seminars and conference presentations.