Implementation Strategies for Integrating HIV and Non-Communicable Disease Services in Primary Healthcare Facilities in Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol

Integration of HIV and non-communicable disease (NCD) services is increasingly promoted as a strategy to improve health system efficiency and patient outcomes, particularly in settings facing a dual burden of disease. In Africa, where a substantial proportion of the global HIV burden co-exists with a rapidly rising prevalence of NCDs, integration has been implemented across multiple primary healthcare settings. However, existing evidence remains fragmented and largely focused on specific interventions or disease areas, with limited synthesis of how integration is implemented across diverse health system contexts. This scoping review aims to map the extent, range, and nature of evidence on implementation strategies, models of care, facilitators, and barriers to integrating HIV and NCD services within primary healthcare systems in Africa, and to identify key evidence gaps to inform policy, practice, and future research. The review will follow the Arksey and O’Malley framework, further refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute, and will be reported in line with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive search will be conducted across electronic databases including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Global Health, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, as well as African Journals Online and African Index Medicus. Grey literature will be sourced from WHO repositories, UNAIDS, government publications, and relevant global health programme reports. Eligibility will be guided by the Population, Concept, and Context framework. Data will be extracted using a standardized charting form and analysed using descriptive and thematic approaches. Findings will be mapped to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and the WHO Integrated People-Centered Health Services framework to examine implementation determinants and system-level factors. This review will provide a comprehensive synthesis of HIV and NCD integration models and implementation approaches across African primary healthcare systems. It is expected to inform policy and practice by identifying common challenges, context-specific facilitators, and critical evidence gaps. The findings will contribute to the evidence base on integrated care as a pathway toward strengthening primary healthcare systems and advancing universal health coverage.