Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41657814›Full record

ReviewPreventive medicine reports2026

Reimagining primary health care: a historical and contemporary scoping review of community-based primary health care models and innovations.

Sanjaya Acharya, Shiva Raj Mishra, Lorenz von Seidlein, Bipin Adhikari, Daniel M Parker

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Preventive medicine reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sanjaya AcharyaAcademy for Data Science and Global Health, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Shiva Raj MishraAcademy for Data Science and Global Health, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Lorenz von SeidleinMahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Bipin AdhikariMahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Daniel M ParkerJoe C Wen School of Population and Public Health; University of California, Irvine, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Community-based primary health care (CBPHC) has long underpinned health service delivery in resource-limited settings. However, demographic shifts, increasing chronic disease burdens, and digital transformations challenge its sustainability. This review synthesizes historical and contemporary evidence on CBPHC to assess effectiveness, identify limitations, and outline future directions toward universal health coverage (UHC). Methods: Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, we conducted a scoping review of global literature from 1975 to 2025 across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and grey sources. Data were thematically analyzed into categories capturing evolution, achievements, challenges, and future directions. Results: A total of 134 documents were reviewed. CBPHC improved access to essential services, particularly maternal and child health, infectious disease control, and health promotion. Programs led by community health workers and volunteers strengthened systems but faced persistent barriers such as attrition, limited funding, and weak integration. Case studies from Nepal, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Rwanda showed improved maternal and child outcomes and pandemic preparedness and resilience. Emerging challenges include syndemics, demographic shifts, and urbanization. Conclusions: CBPHC remains vital for advancing universal health coverage. Its sustainability depends on evolving into a diagonally integrated, people-centered, and digitally enabled model supported by equitable investment in governance, workforce training, and community engagement.

Indexed as

Community-based primary health careCommunity health workersDigital healthGlobal healthHealth equityPrimary health care

Identifiers

PMID41657814
PMCPMC12877820

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.