Evaluating the Use and Impact of Hybrid Approaches in Primary Care: A Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

Background: Hybrid approaches to primary care, which integrate in-person and virtual modalities within coordinated models of care, have expanded rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, evidence on their use, implementation, and impact remains diverse and unevenly synthesized.

Objective: This scoping review will map the literature on the use and impact of hybrid approaches in primary care and examine reported outcomes across the Quintuple Aim Framework, with environmental impact considered as an additional domain.

Methods: The review will follow established scoping review methodology and will be conducted in collaboration with a health sciences librarian at the University of Ottawa. Searches will be conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Embase, supplemented by grey literature and hand-searching. Eligible sources will describe or evaluate hybrid approaches to primary care or urgent care published in English or French from 2020 onward. Screening and data extraction will be conducted by two reviewers using Covidence, with discrepancies resolved through discussion or by a third reviewer.

Conclusion: Findings will clarify how hybrid primary care approaches are defined, implemented, and evaluated, and will identify gaps to inform future research, policy, and practice.