Factors influencing HPV vaccine implementation in South Asia: A scoping review protocol

Abstract Introduction The human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) is an effective investment in lessening the likelihood of contracting cervical cancer, lower healthcare costs, and reducing disability and death. However, low-income and lower-middle-income nations face multiple challenges in implementing the human papillomavirus vaccine at scale. Implementation of human papillomavirus vaccination for eliminating cervical cancer necessitates investigating the factors that impact the health system of these nations. Hence, this review will map the evidence on factors influencing the scaling up of human papillomavirus vaccination in South Asia. Methods The proposed scoping review will follow the steps given by “Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al”. The search approach will follow McGowan et al. (2016) 's evidence-based manual for Peer Analysis of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS 2015) for systematic searches”. Using a comprehensive search, the literature from 2006 onward will be identified from PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus. The search strategy will include terms relating to the HPV vaccine and implementation. A predefined criterion for the inclusion and exclusion of studies will be adopted by three review authors independently to determine the eligible studies. The results will be narratively synthesized and examined in addition to being quantitatively presented to provide an outline. The review will be presented per the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for scoping review (PRISMA-ScR)” guidelines. Conclusions/Discussion The evaluation is anticipated to map the barriers and enablers influencing the rollout of the human papillomavirus vaccine. Lessons learned from the South Asian countries where the vaccine has been implemented may contribute to aiding the implementation of the vaccine in India in an effective manner. Scoping review registration: The protocol was prospectively registered on the “open science framework”. The registration DOI is 10.17605/OSF.IO/QEWG3