Social Determination of Health, access to medicines, and pharmaceutical services in Primary Health Care: a Scoping Review
1
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCF) - University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
2
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1346
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Grounded in the Social Determination of Health framework, which conceptualizes health–disease processes as shaped by historically constructed social inequalities¹˒², this work aim to map how these dimensions interact within the access to medicines and Pharmaceutical Services in Primary Health Care (PHC).
METHODS:
A scoping review is being conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, and SciELO. Study selection occurred in pairs by screening the titles, abstracts, and full-text reading, according to the inclusion criteria, with no restrictions on language or publication date. Studies were included if they were conducted in PHC settings, addressed pharmaceutical services and/or access to medicines, and examined social determination of health or social determinants of health affecting patients. Data charting included key study characteristics related to population, setting, pharmaceutical focus, and social determinants of health. This scoping review was guided by the JBI manual for Scoping Reviews3 and the PRISMA-ScR4.
RESULTS:
From the 1.871 articles found, 142 studies were included, published between 1993 and 2024. USA, UK, and Brazil were the most frequently represented countries. The populations most commonly studied were older adults, immigrants and their descendants, women, and rural populations. Two main categories emerged: (i) PHC centers, including public and private units with integrated pharmaceutical services; and (ii) community pharmacies, defined as community-based pharmaceutical establishments providing direct care and operating independently. The most frequently identified social determinants were education, income, and age, with studies predominantly focused on PHC centers. As the study is ongoing, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings reveal a concentration of studies in a limited number of countries, a predominantly narrow focus on usual determinants, and little debate about social determination, which may restrict addressing the complexity of access to medicines and pharmaceutical services.
Grounded in the Social Determination of Health framework, which conceptualizes health–disease processes as shaped by historically constructed social inequalities¹˒², this work aim to map how these dimensions interact within the access to medicines and Pharmaceutical Services in Primary Health Care (PHC).
METHODS:
A scoping review is being conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, and SciELO. Study selection occurred in pairs by screening the titles, abstracts, and full-text reading, according to the inclusion criteria, with no restrictions on language or publication date. Studies were included if they were conducted in PHC settings, addressed pharmaceutical services and/or access to medicines, and examined social determination of health or social determinants of health affecting patients. Data charting included key study characteristics related to population, setting, pharmaceutical focus, and social determinants of health. This scoping review was guided by the JBI manual for Scoping Reviews3 and the PRISMA-ScR4.
RESULTS:
From the 1.871 articles found, 142 studies were included, published between 1993 and 2024. USA, UK, and Brazil were the most frequently represented countries. The populations most commonly studied were older adults, immigrants and their descendants, women, and rural populations. Two main categories emerged: (i) PHC centers, including public and private units with integrated pharmaceutical services; and (ii) community pharmacies, defined as community-based pharmaceutical establishments providing direct care and operating independently. The most frequently identified social determinants were education, income, and age, with studies predominantly focused on PHC centers. As the study is ongoing, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings reveal a concentration of studies in a limited number of countries, a predominantly narrow focus on usual determinants, and little debate about social determination, which may restrict addressing the complexity of access to medicines and pharmaceutical services.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
