Quality of private and public ambulatory health care in low and middle income countries: systematic review of comparative studies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In developing countries, the private sector provides a substantial proportion of primary health care to low income groups for communicable and non-communicable diseases. These providers are therefore central to improving health outcomes. We need to know how their services compare to those of the public sector to inform policy options.

Methods and findings

We summarised reliable research comparing the quality of formal private versus public ambulatory health care in low and middle income countries. We selected studies against inclusion criteria following a comprehensive search, yielding 80 studies. We compared quality under standard categories, converted values to a linear 100% scale, calculated differences between providers within studies, and summarised median va

SUBMITTER: Berendes S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3075233 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature