The Strategies to Improve Primary Health Care Services: A Scoping Review

Farhad  Habibi; Elham  Ehsani-Chimeh; Alireza  Olyaeemanesh; Sara  Mohamadi; Sahar   Salehi; Efat  Mohamadi; Mohammadreza  Mobinizadeh; Amin   Zarforoush; Parisa  Aboee

doi:10.18502/htaa.v8i4.16988

Farhad Habibi Department of Health Economics and Management, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Elham Ehsani-Chimeh National Institute for Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Alireza Olyaeemanesh National Institute for Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sara Mohamadi Department of Health Management, School of Public Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sahar Salehi Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Efat Mohamadi Health Equity Research Center (HERC) Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammadreza Mobinizadeh National Institute for Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Amin Zarforoush Department of Health Economics and Management, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Parisa Aboee National Institute for Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/htaa.v8i4.16988

Keywords: Primary Health Care; Health Equity; Community Participation; Inter-Sectoral Collaboration

Abstract

Context: Evaluation of health policies and identification of their challenges are vital for improving and implementing reforms in the healthcare system. The present study was conducted to identify interventions aimed at improving primary healthcare (PHC) services in Iran.

Evidence Acquisition: This research utilizes a scoping review to examine reform interventions in PHC services across 10 selected countries: Qatar, Oman, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, and Kuwait. The study covers areas such as the PHC delivery system, human resource management, financial mechanisms, and the framework of community participation and intersectoral collaboration from 2010 to 2022.

Results: The main reform strategies for PHC systems in the reviewed countries included the establishment of family medical centers with nurse support as a comprehensive strategy for service provision in public health centers; providing comprehensive and quality healthcare service packages including maternal and child health, infectious disease immunization, chronic disease monitoring, and dental care services; health education; access to essential medications; improvement of electronic health services; implementation of health promotion and continuous prevention programs; capacity enhancement; and a greater focus on health screening programs and grading of healthcare centers.

Conclusions: The major findings from the reviewed countries indicate that healthcare policymakers focus on providing preventive care services, reducing maternal and child mortality, and increasing life expectancy. Programs such as referral systems, service grading, and the adoption of electronic health services are part of their reform agenda.