Identifying the reproductive health indicators for population policies worldwide: a scoping review.

Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the critical need to reduce maternal and infant mortality and improve maternal health, which necessitates access to high-quality reproductive health (RH) services. By developing a comprehensive list of indicators, this study aims to support evidence-based decision-making and policy adjustments that respond to national and international reproductive health needs.

Methods: This is a scoping review from 2000 until 2020 in the international databases including PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane, WHO website, and ProQuest. We included studies that had abstracts, English language, and involved indicators related to reproductive health indicators. The selected articles were reviewed by two members of the team and then approved by the corresponding author. After collecting the primary indicators and removing duplications, the thematic classification of indicators was done.

Results: We found 2026 studies from three databases and excluded 301 duplicates. After reviewing the abstract, 250 and by reading the full text, 23 studies were included. Most studies were about reproductive health indicators that are indirectly practical in the measurement of reproductive health policies. Most of the studies were systematic reviews. The most frequent indicator among the included studies was the total fertility rate.

Conclusion: Effective monitoring of childbearing encouragement programs and reproductive health policies requires a multi-level approach, encompassing indicators that can be applied from health-center to national levels. This review has categorized existing indicators to provide a structured framework for evaluating population policies. The selected indicators from this review can serve as a guideline for policymakers to create customized monitoring systems that address the specific needs of their countries.