201. Mobile primary health care clinics for Indigenous populations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States: a systematic scoping review
- Author
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Geraldine Ewing, Vincent L. Versace, Yin Paradies, Robyn Clark, James Charles, Hannah Beks, and Fiona Mitchell
- Subjects
Canada ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Population ,Global health ,Health Services Accessibility ,Indigenous ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Health Services, Indigenous ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Mobile health clinics ,education ,Health policy ,Primary health care ,education.field_of_study ,030505 public health ,Indigenous health ,Health Policy ,Public health ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,Australia ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Health services research ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,Grey literature ,United States ,Health services ,Geography ,Family medicine ,Mobile clinic ,Systematic Review ,0305 other medical science ,Mobile Health Units ,New Zealand - Abstract
Background Mobile clinics have been used to deliver primary health care to populations that otherwise experience difficulty in accessing services. Indigenous populations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States experience greater health inequities than non-Indigenous populations. There is increasing support for Indigenous-governed and culturally accessible primary health care services which meet the needs of Indigenous populations. There is some support for primary health care mobile clinics implemented specifically for Indigenous populations to improve health service accessibility. The purpose of this review is to scope the literature for evidence of mobile primary health care clinics implemented specifically for Indigenous populations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Methods This review was undertaken using the Joanna Brigg Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology. Review objectives, inclusion criteria and methods were specified in advance and documented in a published protocol. The search included five academic databases and an extensive search of the grey literature. Results The search resulted in 1350 unique citations, with 91 of these citations retrieved from the grey literature and targeted organisational websites. Title, abstract and full-text screening was conducted independently by two reviewers, with 123 citations undergoing full text review. Of these, 39 citations discussing 25 mobile clinics, met the inclusion criteria. An additional 14 citations were snowballed from a review of the reference lists of included citations. Of these 25 mobile clinics, the majority were implemented in Australia (n = 14), followed by United States (n = 6) and Canada (n = 5). No primary health mobile clinics specifically for Indigenous people in New Zealand were retrieved. There was a pattern of declining locations serviced by mobile clinics with an increasing population. Furthermore, only 13 mobile clinics had some form of evaluation. Conclusions This review identifies geographical gaps in the implementation of primary health care mobile clinics for Indigenous populations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. There is a paucity of evaluations supporting the use of mobile clinics for Indigenous populations and a need for organisations implementing mobile clinics specifically for Indigenous populations to share their experiences. Engaging with the perspectives of Indigenous people accessing mobile clinic services is imperative to future evaluations. Registration The protocol for this review has been peer-reviewed and published in JBI Evidence Synthesis (doi: 10.11124/JBISRIR-D-19-00057).
- Published
- 2020