Abstract
BackgroundAsthma is a major worldwide public health problem affecting an estimated 334 million people with over 300,000 deaths annually. Twenty-two million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are lost annually due to asthma. The condition may present many challenges if not managed well and effectively. This systematic review will provide a comprehensive synthesis of qualitative literature regarding the challenges experienced in the management of asthma and strategies adopted to counter these challenges. The review will answer the following questions: (i) what challenges have been experienced in the treatment of asthma in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)? and (ii) what strategies have been used to overcome asthma treatment challenges in SSA?MethodsThe reviewers will search for the following databases for relevant qualitative studies: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus/Embase (Elsevier), EbscoHost, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Google Scholar, using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and controlled vocabulary. These articles must have been published in the English language between January 2008 and December 2018. The identified papers will then be assessed for meeting eligibility criteria. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts of articles and then review the full texts of the selected research articles. Standard data extraction forms will be utilised, and the quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs checklist for qualitative research appraisal tool. Results from eligible articles will be qualitatively synthesised using the framework synthesis approach and reported according to the Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research (ENTREQ) statement.DiscussionThis systematic review will provide an overview of reported challenges in the treatment of asthma in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2008 to 2018. The review is expected to provide information that will help form the basis for future research, policy development and practice in treatment of asthma.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018095802
Highlights
Asthma is a major worldwide public health problem affecting an estimated 334 million people with over 300,000 deaths annually
All peer-reviewed articles published in English, reporting challenges faced in asthma treatment from patient, family, healthcare worker perspective and healthcare delivery system will be included
Search strategy In collaboration with a medical librarian (MM), a systematic search strategy will be developed using a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and controlled vocabulary to identify peer-reviewed articles on challenges experienced in asthma treatment and strategies thereof to these challenges
Summary
We will use the enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research (ENTREQ) statement [14] which has been used for the preparation of this protocol. All peer-reviewed articles published in English, reporting challenges faced in asthma treatment from patient, family, healthcare worker perspective and healthcare delivery system will be included. We will include any qualitative study that explores these challenges experienced in treatment of asthma and those that report strategies addressing these challenges. Search strategy In collaboration with a medical librarian (MM), a systematic search strategy will be developed using a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and controlled vocabulary to identify peer-reviewed articles on challenges experienced in asthma treatment and strategies thereof to these challenges (see Additional file 1). Our review will adopt this framework based on the emerging themes from our analysis This framework offers a detailed list of likely factors that could contribute to challenges and or possible strategies used to overcome these challenges in asthma treatment. Our review will map and interpret findings in line with the review objectives and emerging themes
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