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. 2025 Mar;23(1):e70040.
doi: 10.1002/msc.70040.

Sexual Health, Pleasure, Justice, and Well-Being in People With Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases: A Scoping Review Protocol

Benedetto Giardulli  1 , Yeliz Prior  2 , Gonca Bumin  3 , Gizem I Kinikli  3 , James A Prior  4   5 , Simon R Stones  6   7   8 , Caroline Flurey  9 , Marco Testa  1 , Andy Lavender  2   6 , Simone Battista  2
Affiliations

Sexual Health, Pleasure, Justice, and Well-Being in People With Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases: A Scoping Review Protocol

Benedetto Giardulli et al. Musculoskeletal Care. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual health, pleasure, justice (equity in sexual rights and experiences), and well-being are crucial determinants of health and life quality, yet often overlooked in the rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) field. However, this topic has received more attention recently, and there is a need to map the current literature to inform the direction of future studies. Hence, this protocol outlines a scoping review to systematically map existing evidence on sexual health in people with RMD, exploring key themes and identifying evidence gaps across multiple dimensions, including sexual well-being, justice and pleasure.

Method and analysis: This scoping review will follow the methodological guidance of the Joanna Briggs Institute and be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews. The search strategy will involve PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, PsychInfo, LGBTQIA+ Source, Web of Science, and the grey literature. Identified articles will be reviewed based on the eligibility criteria. The results will be narratively synthesised and aligned with the framework proposed by Mitchel et al. (2021), identifying four pillars of comprehensive public health for sexuality: 'Sexual Health', 'Sexual Pleasure', 'Sexual Justice', and 'Sexual Well-Being'.

Dissemination: The scoping review will synthesise the scientific literature published on sexual health, pleasure, justice and well-being in people with RMD. This review will provide an understanding of how sexual health is addressed in the literature to inform future research and clinical practices. The findings will be disseminated as research publications, including peer-reviewed article(s), conference abstract(s)/presentation(s), and plain language summaries.

Keywords: evidence and gap maps; evidence synthesis; protocol; rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases; scoping reviews; sexual health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Unrelated to this article, Simon R. Stones is an employee of Amica Scientific (a healthcare communications company that is funded by pharmaceutical companies), has received honoraria from Taylor & Francis, Sage, The Kennedy Trust, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, is a trustee of RAiISE (a charitable incorporated organisation registered in England and Wales Number 1180704), is a member of the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals Patient Engagement Task Force, and is the Chair‐elect of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe Committee.

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