Primary care provider interventions for addressing cancer screening participation with marginalised patients - a scoping review protocol

Sep 24, 2026

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Introduction: Cancer screening is a core component of primary care, and providers can enable screening uptake, yet primary care provider (PCP)–focused interventions have received less attention. Marginalised patients face disparities in cancer screening that may worsen without targeted action. This scoping review protocol aims to map the range, extent, and nature of PCP interventions that maximise screening participation among marginalised patients. Methods: Searches will follow Levac et al.’s framework across major databases with narrative synthesis of eligible English-language studies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Methods and analysis

Ethics and dissemination

Introduction

Screening benefits and current participation gaps

COVID-19 impact on screening services

Strengths and limitations of this study

Open access Protocol Primary care provider interventions for addressing cancer screening participation with marginalised patients: a scoping review protocol Arlinda Ruco ,1,2,3 Alexandra Cernat ,4 Sabine Calleja ,5 Jill Tinmouth,6,7 Aisha K Lofters2,8,9 To cite: Ruco A, Cernat A, Calleja S, et al. Primary care provider interventions for addressing cancer screening participation with marginalised patients: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open 2023;13:e066005 . doi:10 . 1136/ bmjopen-2022-066005 ► Prepublication history and additional supplemental material for this paper are available online. To view these files, please visit the journal online ([http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/](http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/)[ ](http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/)[bmjopen-2022-066005](bmjopen-2022-066005)) . Received 23 June 2022 Accepted 29 March 2023 © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. For numbered affiliations see end of article. Correspondence to Dr Arlinda Ruco; [aruco@stfx.ca](aruco@stfx.ca) ABSTRACT Introduction Cancer screening is an integral component of primary care, and providers can play a key role in facilitating screening. While much work has focused on patient interventions, there has been less attention on primary care provider (PCP) interventions. In addition, marginalised patients experience disparities in cancer screening which are likely to worsen if not addressed. The objective of this scoping review is to report on the range, extent and nature of PCP interventions that maximise cancer screening participation among marginalised patients. Our review will target cancers where there is strong evidence to support screening, including lung, cervical, breast and colorectal cancers. Methods and analysis This is a scoping review conducted in accordance with the framework by Levac et al. Comprehensive searches will be conducted by a health sciences librarian using Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus, CINAHL Complete and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We will include peer-reviewed English language literature published from 1 January 2000 to 31 March 2022 that describes PCP interventions to maximise cancer screening participation for breast, cervical, lung and colorectal cancers. Two independent reviewers will screen all articles and identify eligible studies for inclusion in two stages: title and abstract, then full text. A third reviewer will resolve any discrepancies. Charted data will be synthesised through a narrative synthesis using a piloted data extraction form informed by the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist. Ethics and dissemination Since this is a synthesis of digitally published literature, no ethics approval is needed for this work. We will target appropriate primary care or cancer screening journals and conference presentations to publish and disseminate the results of this scoping review. The results will also be used to inform an ongoing research study developing PCP interventions for addressing cancer screening with marginalised patients. INTRODUCTION Screening for breast, cervical, lung and colorectal cancers has been shown to improve patient outcomes including cancer morbidity and mortality.1–5 Despite the availability of STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY ⇒ This scoping review will summarise the nature, scope and extent of primary care provider interventions to maximise cancer screening participation with patients experiencing marginalisation. ⇒ Our review will include interventions targeting cancers where there is strong evidence to support screening, including lung, cervical, breast and colorectal cancers. ⇒ Research team includes provincial stakeholders for the cancer screening programmes. ⇒ We use a broad definition for marginalisation and as such, not all interventions identified may be applicable to the entire target pop

FAQs

What is the main objective of this scoping review protocol?

To report the range, extent, and nature of primary care provider interventions that maximise cancer screening participation among marginalised patients.

Which cancer types are targeted in the review?

The review targets cancers with strong evidence to support screening, including lung, cervical, breast, and colorectal cancers.

How will studies be identified and selected for inclusion?

Searches will be conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus, CINAHL Complete, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and studies will be screened in two stages by two independent reviewers with a third reviewer to resolve discrepancies.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Aria