Stock-outs of Essential Medicines among Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): A Systematic Literature Review of the Extent, Reasons, and Consequences

Stock-outs of Essential Medicines among Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): A Systematic Literature Review of the Extent, Reasons, and Consequences

By: Abimbola Olaniran, Jane Briggs, Ami Pradhan, Erin Bogue, Benjamin Schreiber, Hannah Sarah Dini, Hitesh Hurkchand & Madeleine Ballard

Publication: Human Resources for Health; 15 Jul 2022; 15;20(1):58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-022-00755-8

Abstract

This paper explores the extent of community-level stock-out of essential medicines among community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and identifies the reasons for and consequences of essential medicine stock-outs.

A systematic review was conducted and reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Five electronic databases were searched with a prespecified strategy and the grey literature examined, January 2006–March 2021. Papers containing information on (1) the percentage of CHWs stocked out or (2) reasons for stock-outs along the supply chain and consequences of stock-out were included and appraised for risk of bias. Outcomes were quantitative data on the extent of stock-out, summarized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data regarding reasons for and consequences of stock-outs, analyzed using thematic content analysis and narrative synthesis.