Policy Brief: Quality of Care

This policy brief aims to provide guidance for policy-makers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the Asia Pacific region on actions that governments can take to improve and regulate quality of care in ambulatory care services. There is increasing evidence of the very poor quality of ambulatory care in LMICs. Current strategies to address quality of care in these countries such as accreditation have tended to focus on hospitals. But ambulatory care accounts for the largest share of out-of-pocket expenses in LMICs and is key to addressing the double burden of communicable and noncommunicable disease.

This brief draws on available evidence of factors influencing quality of care and strategies to improve quality of care in the ambulatory care sector. Although there is a large body of literature addressing quality of care in high-income countries, this is an emerging field of research for LMICs.