Health policy and systems research in access to medicines: a prioritized agenda for low- and middle-income countries

Table 3 Literature scoping results

Priority policy issue	No. of articles	Assessing effect	Methods
Priority policy issue	No. of articles	Assessing effect	SR^ain LMIC (Total # SR)	Quantitative	Qualitative	Mixed	Other
1. Medicine selection and use
Generic medicines	48	6	1 (1)	8	23	13	3
Clinical practice guidelines, Standard Treatment Guidelines, National Essential Medicines Lists	49	12	4 (4)	8	17	17	3
Health seeking behaviour of patients, households and communities	33	2	1 (3)	2	14	11	3
Overuse of medicines	34	4	2 (2)	11	12	7	2
Financial and non-financial incentives for providers	15	6	1 (4)	0	5	4	2
2. Sustainable financing and affordable prices
Medicine and health financing arrangements	27	12	1 (4)	10	3	10	0
Resource allocation for health and medicines	3	1	0 (0)	1	00	1	1
Medicine pricing	41	12	0 (3)	19	0	9	10
3. Leadership and governance
Cross-cutting policies above the health sector affecting health and medicine access	12	1	1 (1)	0	1	3	7
Governance over the private sector	28	4	1 (2)	4	14	2	6
Donors agenda, funding type and funding mechanisms	14	10	0 (0)	4		3	3
4. Availability of medicines
Procurement, supply and stock management	12	2	0 (0)	5	4	3	0
Medicine availability in the public sector	29	5	1 (2)	6	4	14	3
Geographical accessibility	16	8	1 (1)	5	4	4	2
5. Human resources for health
Deployment/shortage and training of human resources for health	3	2	0 (0)	0	1	2	0
6. Quality of medicines and quality assurance systems
Counterfeit medicines	9	2	3 (3)	1	1	2	2
Substandard medicines	34	9	1 (1)	8	12	5	8
7. Medicine information and information systems
Monitoring and evaluation systems on rational use, price and quality	35	4	1 (1)	4	11	8	11

ISSN: 1478-4505