Introduction Circumstantial evidence suggests that a high proportion of cases of epilepsy in countries across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain undiagnosed. The magnitude of the burden is unknown.
Screening tools offer promise for early detection and prevalence estimation that will enable evidence-informed management of epilepsy in SSA. This review will systematically assess the accuracy and reliability of screening tools for detecting epilepsy in communities and primary care settings in SSA.
Methods and analysis Relevant databases, non-database sources and grey literature will be searched for studies on epilepsy screening tools. PubMed, LILACS, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Google Scholar, from inception to 31 May 2026, will be searched for studies on screening tools (questionnaires) administered by non-expert physicians to populations or hospital/clinic-based cohorts with no language restrictions.
The following search terms will be used: screening tool, screening questionnaire, screening test, screening instrument, diagnostic tool, diagnostic accuracy, epilepsy, sensitivity, specificity, true positive, false positive, true negative and false negative and SSA. All countries in SSA will be included as search terms.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 07 May 2026.
The item focuses on Accuracy of epilepsy screening tools in community and primary care settings across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.
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