Primary care is a foundational part of the healthcare system. Yet many Ontarians lack a regular healthcare provider and there are inequities accessing primary care services, especially for racialized, low-income and 2SLGBTQ+ populations.
This scoping review identified 68 peer-review studies that discussed 17 different barriers and enablers to primary care access for these populations. While many barriers and enablers were unique to each population, there were also many common experiences.
The findings in this report point to potential broad directions for addressing inequities in primary care access in Ontario.
We are grateful for funding from the Ministry of Health of the Province of Ontario, which enabled this scoping review. A future report will use focus groups and interviews to validate these findings and identify community-based solutions to improving primary care access.