Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40846338›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Sexually transmitted infections self-sampling among sexually active individuals in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol.

Owen Nyamwanza, Itai Kabonga, Tapson Mashanyare

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Owen NyamwanzaCeSHHAR Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Itai KabongaCeSHHAR Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe itai.kabonga@ceshhar.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6533-996X
Tapson MashanyareCeSHHAR Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a huge public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where prevalence rates are among the highest globally. Barriers such as limited healthcare access, stigma and inadequate diagnostic facilities impede timely detection and treatment. Self-sampling for STI testing offers a potential solution to these challenges. This scoping review will systematically map the available evidence on self-sampling for STIs in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on its feasibility, acceptability, implementation and outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The scoping review will be guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework. The review will include a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature from various repositories and databases. The following databases will be searched: PubMed, Scopus and Global Health. Studies that will be included will meet specific criteria. The results of the review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols checklist. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The methodology used for this study is a scoping review of existing literature; therefore, ethical approval is not required. Findings of this study will be shared at national, regional and international conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

trial registrationWe registered the protocol with the Open Science Framework.

Indexed as

Sexual BehaviorSexually Transmitted DiseasesSpecimen HandlingAfrica South of the SaharaHumansResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicInfection controlINFECTIOUS DISEASESPublic healthSexually Transmitted DiseaseUrinary tract infections

Identifiers

PMID40846338
PMCPMC12374612

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.