Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly altered the pre-existing landscape for sexual and reproductive health. Adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes are therefore more likely to be affected due to reports of overwhelmed health systems. However, sexual and reproductive health wellbeing should be prioritized at all times to counteract adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes. As a result, the proposed review aims at synthesizing evidence on the implications of COVID-19 on sexual and reproductive health outcomes.
Methods: An electronic search for literature will be executed to identify peer reviewed and grey literature on the subject. After screening for studies to include in the synthesis, the checklist of the Joanna Briggs Institute, the McMaster Critical Review form and the Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, and Significance (AACODS) will be used for assessment. The study will be conducted in line with the recommendations detailed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and a narrative report will be developed.
Discussion: Our proposed review aims at identifying the specific implications of COVID-19 on sexual and reproductive health. The review will highlight the systemic challenges and gaps that reinforce the intensity of the impact. It will also identify the aspects of sexual and reproductive health that are much affected among the wide array of components that constitute sexual and reproductive health such as family planning, antenatal care, childbirth, postnatal care among other factors. A better understanding of these issues will help global, regional and national stakeholders and policy makers to identify the specific sexual and reproductive health dimensions that need targeted interventions.
Scoping review registration: https://osf.io/85fch