Mobile Clinics for Health Care Delivery in Arctic and Circumpolar Communities: A Scoping Review protocol

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eview question / Objective This scoping review aims to map the characteristics, implementation strategies, outcomes, and gaps in mobile clinic-based health care delivery in Arctic and circumpolar communities, with attention to culturally safe, patient-centered, and One Health-informed approaches.Background Arctic and circumpolar communities face persistent health inequities due to geographic isolation, harsh climates, and limited access to health services (1-3).Indigenous populations, including Inuit, Sámi, First Nations, and Alaska Native communities, experience disproportionately poor health outcomes, highlighting the need for innovative, culturally safe, and accessible care models (3,4).Mobile clinics have emerged as a potential solution to overcome geographic and workforce barriers, integrate telehealth, deliver preventive and urgent care, and strengthen local health system capacity (5-8).Rationale Persistent health inequities in Arctic and circumpolar communities are driven by geographic remoteness, extreme environmental conditions, and structural determinants that limit access to timely and comprehensive healthcare.Mobile clinics have emerged as a promising service delivery model to address these barriers by bringing care directly to communities and adapting to local contexts; however, evidence on how these models are designed, implemented, and evaluated across circumpolar settings remains fragmented.This scoping review will map existing mobile clinic interventions in Arctic and circumpolar regions, examine the populations served, services provided, and outcomes reported, and identify key facilitators, barriers, and gaps in the literature to inform future research, policy development, and health system innovation.

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