Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Evaluation of quality policies and strategies in health systems: a scoping review
Márcia Cunha da Silva Pellense1,2, Pedro Jesús Saturno Hernández3, Anna Cláudia Sales Gomes Caldas2
1Graduate Program in Collective Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil marcia.pellense.801@ufrn.edu.br.
Objectives:
Improving the quality of care requires specific, comprehensive and continuous attention from the administration of a health system. However, information on evaluations of national and subnational policies and strategies for quality is lacking. This study aims to map studies evaluating policies and strategies for quality in health systems around the world.
Design:
This is a scoping review based on the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).
Data Sources:
The search for articles was carried out in the Embase, Medline/Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases and in the grey literature in July 2024.
Eligibility Criteria:
Publications describing a tool for evaluating interventions for quality in the health system and studies containing at least one conceptual framework related to the evaluation of policies and strategies for quality in the health system, in any language, were included.
Data Extraction And Synthesis:
Data selection was carried out independently by two reviewers, whose conflicts were resolved by consensus and the decision of a third reviewer. The findings were synthesised using a data extraction protocol adapted from two theoretical frameworks on National Quality Policies and Strategies proposed by the WHO.
Results:
The data search resulted in 133 potentially eligible studies, of which 14 studies were included in the review. We found 27 countries that had evaluated their policies or strategies, most of them in Asia (11) and Africa (9). Six studies used instruments to evaluate interventions for quality at the health system level. An instrument used in Afghanistan, Armenia, Guatemala and Mexico proved to be potentially useful for dissemination in other countries. Among the elements recommended by the WHO for the implementation of strategic policies for quality, the most present were governance and organisational structure.
Conclusions:
Although the evidence provides an indication of how countries have implemented their quality policies and strategies, we identified the need for tools to assess their impact on health systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:11Purpose of Health Records I
Here's a breakdown of how health records serve these purposes:
01:30Health Information Technology and Healthcare Information System
Health Information Technology, commonly called HIT, integrates advanced information systems and technology in healthcare settings. Its primary functions include:
01:19Quality Assurance