Interventions to reduce pre-treatment loss to follow-up in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis : a scoping review protocol

Abstract IntroductionTuberculosis (TB) is one of the top causes of death worldwide with more than 90% of reported cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries according to the World Health Organization Global Tuberculosis Report 2021. Pre-treatment loss to follow-up is a key contributor to community transmission and deaths due to the disease. Breaking the transmission cycle will require timely diagnosis and prompt initiation of effective treatment. Therefore, in this protocol, we outline a scoping review to systematically map out available evidence on interventions to reduce pre-treatment loss to follow-up in adults with pulmonary TB and identify any existing gaps in knowledge. Thereafter, we will develop a conceptual framework based on the Practical, Robust Implementation, and Sustainability Model to provide a base to guide the implementation of the available interventions.Methods and analysisWe will use the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley to conduct our scoping review. We will search the following electronic databases: Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), CINAHL, Science Direct, Web of Science, Global Index Medicus, Health Research and Development Information Network, Turning Research into Practice, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, SCOPUS, and EBSCOhost. We will also search the medRxiv database for pre-prints and review reference lists of included studies. We will perform the search without date restriction. We will utilize filters limiting search results to English studies. We will include any primary study that meets the eligibility criteria as guided by the population, concept, and context framework. To minimize selection bias, two review authors will independently screen and select eligible studies. We will resolve disagreements through discussion and consensus and, if necessary, consult a third review author. We will extract data using a predesigned form. We will analyze data descriptively and present findings in a narrative summary and tables. We will then develop a conceptual framework to map the various interventions and factors to consider for effective implementation. Ethics and disseminationFor this scoping review, we will not seek formal ethical approval since we will be using secondary data that is available in the public domain. We will use Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) to guide the reporting of our findings. We will disseminate our findings through peer-reviewed publications, stakeholder meetings, and conference presentations.