Background: Alcohol consumption is widespread and remains one of the leading causes of preventable death, significantly contributing to the global burden of disease and socioeconomic costs. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex and prevalent psychiatric condition, often co-occurring with other mental health disorders and social challenges. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for AUD, its adoption and implementation are hindered by various barriers, including individual and organizational factors. This study aims to map and systematize public policies, clinical guidelines, interventions, and implications related to pharmacotherapy for AUD, considering patient characteristics, medications used, regulatory frameworks, and aspects of service quality. Methods: A scoping review methodology will be employed, following the Joanna Briggs Institute framework, and the results will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Eligible studies will include clinical guidelines and primary research (observational, quasi-experimental, and experimental) on pharmacotherapy for AUD. Based on a pre-established strategy, searches will be conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases. Additionally, a manual search will be performed for the included articles. Study screening will be documented, and data will be extracted using a predefined data form, with both steps carried out by a pair of independent reviewers. To ensure transparency, studies will be classified by design and scope. Data will be qualitatively summarized and described according to the following analysis dimensions: sociodemographic, clinical, regulatory, and quality characteristics. Discussion: This review adopts an innovative approach from a health governance perspective, addressing key dimensions and constructs critical for the development of evidence-based public policies. The findings will provide a comprehensive overview of individuals with AUD, as well as the factors influencing the adoption and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy, focusing on various settings, trends, and regulatory patterns. Acknowledging the limitations, particularly the heterogeneity of studies, efforts will focus on generating evidence to support the widespread adoption of pharmacotherapy for AUD. These insights are expected to guide future public health policies and inform clinical practice, particularly in settings where pharmacotherapy is underutilized or has not yet been implemented. Trial registration: The protocol is available on Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/A7QFK).
Pinheiro et al. (Mon,) studied this question.