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. 2023 Jul 4;99(8):554–560. doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2023-055749

Table 1.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria for selected articles

Domain Inclusion criteria Exclusion criteria
Population People who need STBBI testing.
From a health equity perspective, only publications that consider at least one of the PROGRESS-Plus factors as their target population or a stratification level in their analysis or publications.
Intervention Any intervention integrating digital technologies to facilitate access to STBBI testing including home testing, self-sampling and/or connections with laboratory services.
  • Web portals including websites with chatbots, etc

  • Applications (mobile and desktop)

  • Social media

  • Interventions that are mainly in person or clinic based but deliver service notifications via SMS and/or email.

  • Interventions leveraging websites and social media channels that do not provide individualised communication, for example, STBBI information and education portals and promotional websites linked to in-person STBBI testing.

Comparison No or clinic-based STBBI testing
Outcome
  • Primary outcomes: uptake of STBBI testing—for example, completion and return of STBBI test samples, frequency of testing and repeat testing rates.

  • Secondary outcomes: STBBI positivity rates, linkage to treatment and partner notification rates.

  • Prevention-related outcomes, for example, condom use, uptake of HIV PrEP, knowledge about STBBIs, etc.

  • Treatment-related outcomes, for example, virological suppression rates in HIV.

Time frame January 2010 to date Published before year 2010
Study design Primary research studies including randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case–control studies, cross-sectional studies (analytical) and quasi-experimental or pre-intervention and post-intervention study designs or qualitative studies—specifically assessing outcomes of interest.
*Included articles must either describe differential outcomes by any of the PROGRESS-Plus factors, stratify effects of digital interventions or conduct effect modification or moderation analysis by and of the PROGRESS-Plus factors.
  • Reviews and researcher perspectives or commentaries.

  • Editorials, case reports, systematic or scoping reviews, design descriptions of interventions without a primary assessment of outcomes, etc.

  • Papers without full texts available.

Setting Community settings
  • Interventions in a contrived or hypothetical setting.

  • Studies of prospective digital interventions that are not implemented or evaluated through the study.

Language Published in English Published in any language other than English

PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis; PROGRESS-Plus, Place of residence, Race, Occupation, Gender/Sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital and other disadvantaged characteristics; SMS, Short Messaging Service; STBBI, sexually transmitted and bloodborne infection.