Landscape analysis of primary health care research in South, East Asia and the Pacific: policy brief

Overview

Nearly half of PHC studies focused on service delivery while financing has the least attention. In terms of health programme focus, NCDs and injuries accounted for more than a third of the studies while minimal share for communicable diseases. Over 85 percent of studies in upper-middle and high-income countries are domestically funded whereas low-middle income countries relied primarily on international donors. Stakeholder consultations identified barriers such as low policy-maker prioritization and limited engagement with health sector actors; while enablers include local leadership and integration of multi-source data. Regional PHC research priorities include improving quality of care from patient and provider perspectives, optimizing telemedicine, analyzing financing models and strengthening regulation of the private sector. Findings underscore the need for co-created, equity-focused and mixed-methods studies with sustained intra- and inter-country collaboration.