Quality of care: what are effective policy options for governments in low- and middle-income countries to improve and regulate the quality of ambulatory 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.