Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: May 5, 2025
Date Accepted: Aug 31, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Experiences of pregnant women with a positive HIV status in sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
The World Health Organisation reports that HIV/AIDS remains a significant public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa, which hosts over 60% of the global population of people living with HIV. Among these, there were 1.2 million pregnant women with HIV in 2023 who probably experienced challenges related to the pregnancy itself, the fear of infecting their newborn babies, and issues related to HIV stigma and disclosure. However, their experiences are not summarised to inform tailored interventions to assist them in their journey to delivery.
Objective:
This scoping review aims to synthesise the existing evidence related to the experiences of pregnant women with an HIV-positive status in sub-Saharan African countries.
Methods:
A review of the relevant literature will be guided using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework for scoping studies. Studies will be eligible for inclusion if they report on reactions to a new HIV-positive status diagnosis and the management of these reactions. All eligible studies from 2014 to 2025 in English and French will be included. The following databases will be used for the search: PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCOhost (CINAHL with full text, Scopus, and the Web of Sciences. All identified records will be collated and uploaded into EndNote X21 for management. Eligible studies will be screened by two independent reviewers, and disagreements will be solved through discussion. Data extracted via a validated data extraction form developed for this review will be analysed using content analysis and presented in a narrative format. This protocol is aligned with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
Results:
The review will offer a comprehensive narrative of the experiences of pregnant women with a positive HIV status in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings will be disseminated through medical education conferences and publications. The database search was completed in March 2025, and the results are expected to be published within the next 6 months.
Conclusions:
The review will provide a comprehensive narrative of how pregnant women react when they are first diagnosed with an HIV-positive status as well as how they manage the news. It is anticipated that there will be evidence of mixed reactions to and balanced management of a new HIV-positive status diagnosis among pregnant women. The findings will be disseminated through public health publications. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.
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