STUDY PROTOCOL A scoping review protocol on diagnostic and treatment costs of cardiovascular disease management in India [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review] Shaik Husna Tasneem 1 , Mehnaaz M. Dhanal 1 , Merin Renjith 1 , Raveesh Subramanian 1 , Vijay Shree Dhyani 2 , Jisha B. Krishnan 2 , Prachi Pundir 2 , Andria J.N. Sirur 1 , Ambigai Rajendran 1 1 Health Economics, Department of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, 576104, India 2 Public Health Evidence South Asia (PHESA), Prasanna School of Public Health (PSPH), Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India First published: 18 Nov 2022, 11:1345 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.125369.1 Latest published: 18 Nov 2022, 11:1345 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.125369.1 v1 Abstract Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in India. Economic threats due to CVDs have surged, as diagnostic and treatment costs are out-of-pocket expenses. The increasing prevalence of CVDs in India is due to globalization, industrialization, aging, tobacco and alcohol consumption, diet, and sleep patterns. This scoping review provides a summary of the costs incurred in diagnosing and treating CVDs in India. Methods: The JBI updated methodology aligned with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) will guide this scoping review. Searches will be conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, Econ Papers, and ProQuest databases. Google Scholar and Shodhganga will be used to search for relevant gray literature. Bibliographic mining will be performed to identify additional relevant studies. The literature published from 2000 onwards will be the primary focus. All direct and indirect costs for the diagnosis and treatment of CVDs across various levels of healthcare settings will be included. A two-stage independent screening, consisting of title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening, will be conducted to identify eligible articles. Data will be extracted from full- text studies using a customized data extraction form. The results will be compiled and presented in the scoping review performed. Ethics and dissemination: A conference presentation and scientific peer-reviewed journal publication will be the sources for disseminating the review results. This study does not require an ethics review because publicly available sources were used to retrieve data. Open Peer Review Approval Status AWAITING PEER REVIEW Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. Page 1 of 10 F1000Research 2022, 11:1345 Last updated: 18 NOV 2022