Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov 9;24(1):236.
doi: 10.1186/s12875-023-02194-3.

People-centred primary health care: a scoping review

Resham B Khatri  1   2 , Eskinder Wolka  3 , Frehiwot Nigatu  3 , Anteneh Zewdie  3 , Daniel Erku  4   5 , Aklilu Endalamaw  6   7 , Yibeltal Assefa  6
Affiliations

People-centred primary health care: a scoping review

Resham B Khatri et al. BMC Prim Care. .

Abstract

Background: Integrated people-centred health services (IPCHS) are vital for ensuring comprehensive care towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The World Health Organisation (WHO) envisions IPCHS in delivery and access to health services. This scoping review aimed to synthesize available evidence on people-centred primary health care (PHC) and primary care.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review of published literature on people-centred PHC. We searched eight databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) using search terms related to people-centred and integrated PHC/primary care services. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist to select studies. We analyzed data and generated themes using Gale's framework thematic analysis method. Themes were explained under five components of the WHO IPCHS framework.

Results: A total of fifty-two studies were included in the review; most were from high-income countries (HICs), primarily focusing on patient-centred primary care. Themes under each component of the framework included: engaging and empowering people and communities (engagement of community, empowerment and empathy); strengthening governance and accountability (organizational leadership, and mutual accountability); reorienting the model of care (residential care, care for multimorbidity, participatory care); coordinating services within and across sectors (partnership with stakeholders and sectors, and coordination of care); creating an enabling environment and funding support (flexible management for change; and enabling environment).

Conclusions: Several people-centred PHC and primary care approaches are implemented in HICs but have little priority in low-income countries. Potential strategies for people-centred PHC could be engaging end users in delivering integrated care, ensuring accountability, and implementing a residential model of care in coordination with communities. Flexible management options could create an enabling environment for strengthening health systems to deliver people-centred PHC services.

Keywords: Integrated care; People-centred care; Primary care; Primary health care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA-ScR flow chart showing the selection of studies for the review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization . People-centered health care: a policy framework. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
    1. Goodwin N, Stein V, Amelung V. What is integrated care? Handbook integrated care. 2021. pp. 3–25. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . The world health report 2008: primary health care now more than ever : introduction and overview. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008.
    1. Hughes G, Shaw SE, Greenhalgh T. Rethinking Integrated Care: a systematic Hermeneutic Review of the literature on Integrated Care Strategies and concepts. Milbank Q. 2020;98(2):446–492. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.12459. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hakansson Eklund J, Holmstrom IK, Kumlin T, Kaminsky E, Skoglund K, Hoglander J, Sundler AJ, Conden E, Summer Meranius M. "Same same or different?" A review of reviews of person-centered and patient-centered care. Patient Educ Couns. 2019;102(1):3–11. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2018.08.029. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources