Efficacy and safety of behavioral therapy for premature ejaculation: Protocol for a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Premature ejaculation (PE) is the one of the most prevalent male sexual dysfunction, there has not been specific medicine or therapy for the disease. As an effective treatment for premature ejaculation is a behavioral therapy and is widely used worldwide. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of behavioral therapy in patients who suffer from PE. METHOD: We will search all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the following electronic databases, by September 30, 2018, such as PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science database, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal database (VIP), and Wanfang Database. We will also collect clinical trial registries, dissertations, grey literature, reference lists of studies, systematic reviews, and conference abstracts. The primary outcomes include the Intravaginal Ejaculatory Latency Time (IELT). Besides, Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), Arabic index of Premature Ejaculation (AIPE), Index of Premature Ejaculation (IPE) will be the secondary outcomes. Two people will review these articles, extract the data information, and assess the quality of studies separately. RevMan (version 5.3) and EndNote X7 will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will generate a comprehensive review of current evidence of behavioral therapy for premature ejaculation. CONCLUSION: The study will provide updated evidence to evaluate the efficacy and safety of behavioral therapy for premature ejaculation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: It is not necessary for this systematic review to acquire an ethical approval. This review will be reported in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42018111339.