From Health Needs to the Use of Health Services: A Scoping Review Protocol on Access to Medicines

This study aims to analyze the relationship between health needs (felt and expressed) and access to medicines. It is a scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (2024) guidelines, structured according to the PCC strategy (Population, Concept, and Context). Searches will be conducted in PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, Scopus, and Embase for articles published between 2015 and 2025, in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and German. Inclusion criteria comprise primary studies and systematic reviews addressing health needs in relation to access to medicines, while clinical trials, editorials, letters, and commentaries will be excluded. Search keys were developed according to the classification of types of needs. Study selection will be carried out by two independent reviewers using the Rayyan platform, and results will be presented through the PRISMA-ScR flowchart. In cases of disagreement, a third reviewer will evaluate the conflicts. Data extracted from the included studies will be organized in a chart containing information such as title, country, year, authors, journal, study design, objectives, and main findings.