Factors Influencing Primary Care Access for Common Mental Health Conditions among Adults in West Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol (Preprint)

BackgroundMental health conditions are expressed in various ways in different people, and access to health care for these conditions is affected by individual factors, health care provider factors, and contextual factors. These factors may be enablers or barriers to accessing primary care for mental health conditions. Studies have reported a gap in treatment for mental health conditions in many countries in West Africa due to barriers along the access pathway. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is yet to be a review of the factors influencing access to primary care for common mental health conditions among adults in West Africa. ObjectiveOur scoping review will explore the factors influencing access to primary care for common mental health conditions among adults aged 18 years and older in West Africa from 2002 to 2024. MethodsOur review will follow the approach to scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley in 2005. This approach has five stages: (1) identifying the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies; (3) selecting studies; (4) charting the data; and (5) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results. We will search electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cairn.info, and Google Scholar), source gray literature from relevant websites (the World Health Organization and country-specific websites), and manually explore reference lists of relevant studies to identify eligible records. Pairs of independent authors (NYA-B, RNBA, VR, or DS) will screen the titles, abstracts, and full texts of studies based on predefined eligibility criteria. We will use a data extraction tool adopted from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis to chart the data. Deductive, thematic analysis will be used to categorize factors influencing access to mental health care under predetermined themes. New themes derived from the literature will also be charted. ResultsDatabase searches were conducted between February 1, 2024, and February 12, 2024. As of July 2024, the review report is being drafted, and it will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. ConclusionsThe results of the review will inform decision-making on policies, programs, and their implementation in West Africa to improve primary care access for mental health care. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/58890