Implementation of the WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care course in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

This scoping review will map and synthesise evidence on the implementation and impact of the WHO Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course in sub-Saharan Africa. It will examine how BEC and related interventions based on or adapted from the WHO/ICRC BEC toolkit have been implemented among frontline healthcare providers, including nurses, clinical officers, physicians, and other acute care workers. The review will consider implementation approaches, training modalities, barriers and facilitators, capacity-building strategies, and policy implications. The review will follow Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews and PRISMA-ScR reporting standards. Eligibility will be defined using the Population–Concept–Context framework. Searches will be conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus, supplemented by grey literature and stakeholder consultation. Data will be extracted using a standardised form and synthesised descriptively and thematically, with implementation outcomes mapped to Proctor’s framework. The review is expected to identify how the WHO BEC course has been delivered and adapted across sub-Saharan Africa, the main implementation strategies used, and the key barriers and facilitators affecting uptake. It is also expected to summarise reported implementation outcomes and identify evidence gaps relating to sustainability, cost, and longer-term impact. The findings are expected to inform future emergency care implementation research, workforce development, and policy planning in low-resource settings.