Primary health care networks and impacts in LMICs: A systematic review

This systematic review from the CHORUS Ghana team aimed to address the limited information available on the influence of Primary Healthcare Provider Networks (PHCPNs) on the clinical outcomes of health services. This paper examines the extent, range, and nature of research on PHCPNs in LMICs, the types of PHCPNs described, and the clinical care outcomes of PHCPNs reported in the published literature. The team conducted a systematic mixed-methods review on PHCPNs as a strategy to strengthen health systems in LMICs following the PRISMA guidelines.

It was found that the PHCPNs primarily focus on maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes. The study reveals that: (i) PHCPNs contribute to improvements in the process outcomes of health services by enhancing access to care, coverage of health services, quality of care and services, and safety of care, and (ii) they support improvements in clinical outcomes by helping to reduce maternal, neonatal, and perinatal mortalities and stillbirths. This body of literature we reviewed suggests that PHCPNs make a difference in the process and clinical outcomes of health services in LMICs. This review serves as both a mapping and clarification exercise to promote the adoption of PHCPNs and as a foundation for further research, especially in areas of health services beyond maternal, newborn, and child health.

Read the full article here: Primary health care networks and impacts in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Dominic Dormenyo Gadeka, Genevieve Cecilia Aryeetey, Helen Bour, Henry Okudzeto, Patrick Addo, Noemia Teixeira de Siqueira Filha, Bassey Ebenso, Helen Elsey, Irene A Agyepong, Primary health care networks and impacts in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review, Health Policy and Planning, Volume 41, Issue 3, March 2026, Pages 471–491, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czag003