The Management of Acne in General Practice using Isotretinoin: A Scoping Review Protocol.

INTRODUCTION

Acne Vulgaris (Acne) is a common, chronic, cutaneous disorder associated with scarring, hyperpigmentation, and adverse psychological effects. The high prevalence of acne places a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide due to the cost of treatment. The high usage of antibiotics in the treatment of this condition also has a significant impact on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. Isotretinoin is considered to be the most effective treatment for the management of severe acne; however, issues remain with inequitable access to this drug. General Practitioners (GPs) are ideally placed to identify and manage patients with moderate-to-severe acne; however, in many countries the prescription of isotretinoin is limited to secondary care. To the authors' knowledge, no review has been conducted to identify, map and analyse literature pertaining to GPs' use of isotretinoin for the management of acne.

METHODS

As recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), a three-step search strategy will be utilised for this scoping review. A search strategy will be developed using key words, search terms and controlled vocabulary suitable for each literature source. Both primary and grey literature will be eligible for inclusion in this review. Identified literature will be screened by two reviewers to identify relevant evidence. The full-text sources will then be evaluated by two independent researchers to extract relevant data. The findings of this review will be reported as a descriptive summary accompanied by a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram.

RESULTS

This scoping review protocol outlines a systematic approach to map a broad range of sources and summarise existing evidence regarding GPs' use of isotretinoin for the management of acne in primary care.

CONCLUSIONS

The objective of this scoping review is to comprehensively identify, map, and analyse literature pertaining to the management of acne using isotretinoin in general practice.

REVIEW REGISTRATION: Registered on Open Science Framework on 02/10/2025 ( https://osf.io/rak3d/).