Delivering screening programmes in primary care: protocol for a scoping and systematic mixed studies review.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Healthcare Delivery Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Screening programs are significant healthcare activities requiring careful implementation for net benefit.
• Primary care settings are central to the delivery of many screening programs.
• Existing research lacks a synthesis of how screening programs are delivered within primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and critically evaluate the delivery of screening programs in general practice and community services.
• To synthesize evidence on the components, barriers, facilitators, and strategies for effective screening program delivery in primary care.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review will identify screening program components delivered in primary care.
• A systematic review will synthesize evidence on delivery strategies, barriers, and facilitators.
• Empirical studies from high-income countries, published from 2000 onwards, will be included, with searches across 20 information sources.

Main Results:

• The review will identify key components of screening programs implemented in primary care settings.
• Evidence on effective and ineffective delivery strategies, along with associated barriers and facilitators, will be synthesized.
• A best-fit framework approach will be used for data synthesis, with risk of bias assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

Conclusions:

• Findings will inform the optimization of screening program delivery within primary care.
• This synthesis aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare screening interventions.
• Dissemination will target academics, decision-makers, practitioners, and the public to enhance screening program outcomes.