Policies and interventions aiming to improve equitable access to primary care: a scoping review

Equitable access to primary care is central to advancing universal health coverage, yet disparities persist for marginalised populations. We conducted a scoping review of eight peer-reviewed databases and grey literature for publications between Jan 1, 2000, to Aug 19, 2025, to identify policies and interventions aimed at improving equitable access to generalist primary care services. 57 studies from 22 countries were mapped by intervention levels (macro, meso, and micro), target population, equity domain using the PROGRESS+ framework, service context, and evaluation approach. 37 (65%) included studies originated from high-income countries. Among the studies, target populations mostly included low-income or uninsured groups (27 [47%]), and rural and remote residents (23 [40%]); and outcomes mainly captured service utilisation (48 [84%]), relational or experiential dimensions of access (26 [46%]), and geographical or organisational accessibility (21 [37%]). 24 policies or interventions were reported, with meso-level policies or interventions being most common (15 [63%] of 24), followed by macro-level (seven [29%]) and micro-level (two [8%]) policies or interventions. Multilevel, context-sensitive strategies appear promising, but evidence gaps remain, particularly in low-resource settings.