Protocol for systematic literature review on implementation of cervical cancer screening and associated factors in Nepal from 2000 to 2018

Abstract

Background Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer death among women in Nepal. The high burden of this disease necessitates identifying relevant evidence to inform policy development and guidelines. This protocol describes a planned systematic review that will collate and report the experiences of implementation of cervical cancer screening and associated factors in Nepal over the last two decades to identify knowledge gaps to inform future implementation strategies. Methods and analysis This protocol was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA_P) statement and will apply eligibility criteria to screening and select peer-reviewed research articles and grey literature. A computer-based search will be conducted for each type of publication in the PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and EMBASE databases using various search terms. Search terms will be modified according to each database and the reference lists of the included studies will be screened to identify additional relevant materials. Data synthesis will use narrative synthesis and meta-analysis where appropriate. Ethics and dissemination This study does not require ethical approval as only secondary data from published and grey literature will be assessed. The review will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019144645.