Exploring Mobile Health Clinics: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Mobile health clinics (MHC) have emerged as vital resources to enhance health care access for historically marginalized populations. Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, this scoping review explores MHC programs, focusing on target populations, settings, services, professionals, and outcomes. The review was conducted through a comprehensive search of PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and EBSCO's Business Source Complete databases from 2017 to 2024. Thirty-eight relevant articles were identified. The review underscores the significance of setting, professional roles, and services offered by MHC programs, alongside highlighting key themes such as populations served, measured outcomes, and barriers/facilitators. It advocates for interprofessional collaboration beyond traditional clinics to provide inclusive care and bridge health care disparities. Beyond health care delivery, the review underscores the importance of interprofessional collaboration in addressing health inequities. The findings of this scoping review provide insights for designing and implementing effective mobile health services in underserved communities.