Table 1.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria for the barriers and enablers to accessing sexual health and sexual well-being services for midlife women (aged 40–65 years) in high-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Study characteristic	Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
Sample	Studies which were composed of self-identifying women aged 40–65 years (studies which included men and women were included if women aged 40–65 years (or whose mean age was between 40 and 65) represented 50% or more of the study population, or women aged 40–65 were analysed separately). Studies which were composed of HCPs who worked in, or sign-posted midlife women to, SHSW services.	Studies which were composed of less than 50% self-identifying women aged 40–65 (or whose mean age was not between 40 and 65) or studies in which women aged 40–65 were not analysed separately. Studies which were composed of HCPs who did not work with or sign post-midlife women to SHSW services.
Design	Empirical research.	Review/Meta-analysis articles. Theoretical articles. Book chapters. Unpublished manuscripts. Conference abstracts.
Publication	Peer-reviewed. Published between November 1993 and October 2023.	Not peer-reviewed. Published prior to November 1993 or after October 2023.
Language	English.	Any other language.
Duration of follow-up	All.	Not applicable.
Focus	Studies that assessed intra-personal-based factors, for example, age, sexuality, ethnicity, knowledge, psychological factors, other priorities, that may have affected midlife women’s access to SHSW services. Studies which evaluated the impact of interactions with HCPs on access to SHSW services. Studies which investigated the impact of organisational factors (hospital policies) on access to SHSW services. Studies which investigated community factors, for example, social stigma, which impacted on access to SHSW services. Studies which investigated public policy, for example health insurance coverage, guidelines, which impacted on access to SHSW services.	Studies which investigated interventions, for example, treatment for menopause, sexual dysfunction, HIV testing, adherence to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, adherence to antiretrovirals, if not directly related to improving access to existing services. Studies which investigated the enablers and barriers to fertility technology techniques. Studies which investigated the enablers and barriers to accessing male-related sexual dysfunction services. Studies which assessed access to gender-affirming therapy for transpeople. Studies which investigated the impact of COVID-19 or other natural disasters on barriers/facilitators to services unless it included barriers/facilitators applicable to ongoing care. Studies with a focus on enablers and barriers to accessing SHSW care for men who have sex with men and non-binary and/ or transpeople unless there was a separate analysis for midlife non-binary and/ or transpeople, or midlife transpeople represented at least 50% of the studied population.

HCP, healthcare professionals; SHSW, sexual health and sexual well-being.