Exploring Primary Healthcare Needs Among Migrants in Australia: A Scoping Review

Background/Objectives: Australia is a multicultural country; however, migrants encounter multiple barriers in accessing healthcare services that can detrimentally impact timely healthcare, leading to poor healthcare outcomes. Recognising that primary healthcare services are often the first point of contact for migrants in Australia, the aim of this scoping review was to explore and synthesise the existing evidence on migrants’ primary healthcare needs and associated experiences of accessing and engaging with primary health services within the Australian healthcare context. Study type: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Methods: Seven databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed primary research studies published in English between 2013 and 2025 that examined adult migrants’ primary healthcare needs and associated experiences in Australia. Data were synthesised using thematic analysis and narrative synthesis. Results: Twenty-eight studies were included. Migrants’ primary healthcare needs centred on improving health literacy, navigating the Australian healthcare system, culturally responsive communication, and access to preventative care and condition-specific health services. Key barriers included language and communication difficulties, limited health literacy, and cultural beliefs and stigma. Trusted relationships with healthcare providers, culturally responsive models of care and community support were identified as enablers of access to and engagement with primary healthcare. Conclusions: Migrants’ primary healthcare needs in Australia extend beyond access to clinical services and include health literacy, culturally responsive care, and support to navigate the healthcare system and appropriate preventative health services. The findings highlight opportunities to strengthen primary healthcare policy and practice through improved communication, interpreter access, health literacy initiatives, continuity of care, and community-informed health promotion strategies that are responsive to the diversity of Australia’s migrant communities.