Post-elimination trachoma surveillance and integration into primary health systems: a scoping review protocol

Objectives:

This scoping review will map the global evidence on post-elimination trachoma surveillance, with a particular focus on integration models within primary health care, aiming to draw lessons for Nigeria.

Introduction:

Trachoma, the leading infectious cause of preventable blindness, has been eliminated as a public health issue in 27 countries. Maintaining these achievements requires strong post-elimination surveillance, yet evidence on incorporating trachoma monitoring into primary health care and health information systems remains scattered and incompletely synthesized.

Eligibility criteria:

The eligibility criteria will be determined using the JBI Participants–Concept–Context framework.

Methods:

The review will follow the JBI scoping review methodology. Searches will be conducted for peer-reviewed in PubMed, Embase (Embase.com), Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, Global Health, and CINAHL (via EBSCOhost), as well as gray literature from WHO IRIS, national elimination dossiers, and partner repositories. Search strategies will incorporate trachoma, surveillance, primary health care, and facility-level service delivery concepts. The review will cover all available literature from database inception to December 2025. No language restrictions will be applied. For studies published in languages other than English, DeepL Translator will be used.

Two reviewers will independently screen and extract data using a piloted framework. Findings will be synthesized through descriptive mapping and qualitative content analysis, and presented in tables and maps. An operational integration framework will be developed as a primary synthesis output of this study. No critical appraisal will be performed.

Review registration:

OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/EH98C