Inequities in access to healthcare are pervasive in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), manifesting as large socio-economic gradients in healthcare utilization and subsequently, disparities in population outcomes. LMICs additionally often confront inefficient health systems,...

Prolonged hospital stays, or hospital stays that are longer than medically necessary, are a major concern for patients, payers, and providers. We conceptualize and empirically estimate the prevalence and cost of prolonged stays among elderly hospital patients (65 years and older) in Brazil and...

We assessed whether health spending of local government units in the Philippines is sufficient to deliver mandated primary health care (PHC) services under a devolved system, how PHC spending varies with fiscal capacity, and whether increased intergovernmental transfers following the...

Quality and performance are current issues and a strategic priority for the Portuguese National Health Service. Currently, there is a lack of studies in primary health care (PHC) that assess the relationship between the quality and the level of performance of the Primary Health Care Teams. In...

This report reflects on the findings from an internal control assessment of health service delivery units for primary health care, as well as a subsequent options analysis. Together, they show significant opportunities for improved systemic efficiency, as low-value, frequent transactions (that...

Objective: The purpose of this article is to examine the quality of remote primary healthcare in Poland measured through three dimensions: coordination, comprehensiveness, and continuity (3Cs) and examine the relationship between them. Research Design & Methods: The 3Cs were measured using a...

Background Evidence on the cost effectiveness of deprescribing in multimorbidity is limited. Objective To investigate the cost effectiveness of a general practitioner (GP) delivered, individualised medication review to reduce polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate prescribing in older...

Social health protection systems are constantly evolving, offering a wide range of institutional, administrative, and financial arrangements. International standards in social health protection are outcome-based, and grant flexibility in the institutional and administrative arrangements chosen...

Inequities in access to healthcare are pervasive in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), manifesting as large socio-economic gradients in healthcare utilization and subsequently, disparities in population outcomes. LMICs additionally often confront inefficient health systems,...

Disruptions of the patient-general practitioner (GP) relationship due to GP exits affect patient outcomes in various ways. The literature suggests that the loss of a trusted professional can have negative effects, but also points at the benefits of being examined by a new GP. We study the impact...

This brief examines the potential for digital health to address some of these challenges to increase prevention knowledge and screening, connect individuals with the health system specifically at the PHC level, and facilitate person-centered care using a team-based approach. The World Bank’s...

Geographic disparities in health outcomes persist across Indonesia, fueled in part by inequities in the physical access to and quality of health services. This note deploys a novel model to assess spatial patterns of accessibility of public primary care in Indonesia. It focuses on access to...

In East Asia and Pacific (EAP), people are living longer but not necessarily healthier lives. As populations age and urbanize, an epidemic of chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease is taking hold, affecting workers in their prime, eroding productivity, and...

Purpose: This study addresses the qualitative research phase of a mixed methods study conducted to investigate patient acceptance of an app-based telemedicine service for primary care aimed at South African public health care sector patients. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative data were...

Cet article décrit un programme mis en place en Côte d'Ivoire pour évaluer etrenforcer les compétences des prestataires de soins de santé primaires à l'aide devignettes cliniques. L'initiative a permis de former les superviseurs de district dans 113districts sanitaires sur la manière de...

Offering health coverage to informal workers and their families is an ongoing and major challenge in most Sub-Saharan countries. As anchoring insurance to employment contracts is not possible and the demand for insurance is too low to deploy voluntarily sustainable schemes, alternative...

We quantify the impact of federal subsidies for graduate medical education on primary care physician (PCP) supply by examining the impact of Section 5503 of the Affordable Care Act, which increased the number of residents that teaching hospitals in rural and high-need areas could receive...

We study the effects of general practitioners’ (GPs’) resignations on their patients’ healthcare utilization, diagnoses, and mortality in an event-study setting. Using claims data from a large German statutory health insurance, we find that after physicians leave, their former patients...

This study evaluates the accessibility of primary care for children in Czechia in light of the declining numbers of general practitioners and the rising numbers of children without a practitioner. We show that children largely receive primary care outside their district of administrative...

This report presents the findings of the Vital Signs Profile (VSP) assessment conducted by the World Bank and the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) in collaboration with Fiji's Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS). The VSP provides an opportunity to assess the state of...

The assessment of Kiribati's primary health care (PHC) system, carried out by the World Bank in collaboration with the Government of Kiribati under the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI), marks a unique opportunity to identify the system's strengths and gaps and to catalyze...

This report presents the findings of the primary health care (PHC) system in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), an assessment that the World Bank conducted in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MHHS) of the government of RMI. The assessment provides an...

The report is based on the WBG's technical assistance which aimed to 1) provide a baseline of current PHC performance, understand the strengths and weaknesses of the PHC system, and where to target initiatives for improvement; 2) identify and understand variation in PHC performance, especially...