Primary healthcare providers (PHCPs) are uniquely positioned to evaluate and increase vulnerable patients' disaster preparedness, in that they have detailed information about their medical needs, resources, and limitations. Nevertheless, it is still unclear what their roles and services are in this field. This study aimed to review the literature on PHCPs services to prepare the vulnerable population for disasters.

MEDLINE, Scopus, and PubMed databases were searched. Inclusion criteria include peer-reviewed articles published in English with no restriction on publication date. In order to obtain a broad perspective on the subject, the study type was not limited. The retrieved articles were imported into EndNote Reference Manager to manage duplications. Then, the reference lists of retrieved articles were checked for the relevance of the title and abstract. Lastly, fulltext articles identified were inspected against the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis was performed to consolidate the commonalities in PHCPs roles and services for disater preparedness.

From the database search, 2193 articles were retrieved and 844 duplications were eliminated. Afterwards, 1349 articles were screened based on title and abstract, 49 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 22 full-text articles were included. The six themes associated with services provided by PHCPs were emerged as follows: identifying vulnerable groups and assisting them in disaster planning, providing written materials and/or recommendations; protecting vulnerable population’ records; educating staff, vulnerable clients, and their caregivers; coordinating disaster planning and response across agencies; routine assessment of disaster preparedness, and planning for evacuation.

This scoping review reveals that the literature on PHCPs services to improve vulnerable populations’ disaster preparedness is limited. Consequently, there is a need for scientific research to increase the existing capabilities of PHCPs for vulnerable population disaster preparedness and identify barriers and facilitators affecting their coordination with disaster management agencies.