Gatekeeping or Provider Choice for Sustainable Health Systems? A Literature Review on Their Impact on Efficiency, Access, and Quality of Services
2024
Gatekeeping vs. Provider Choice in Health Systems
publication
Evidence: low
Author Information
Author(s): Ntais Christos, Kontodimopoulos Nikolaos, Talias Michael A.
Primary Institution: Open University of Cyprus
Hypothesis
What is the impact of gatekeeping on healthcare efficiency, access, and quality?
Conclusion
The evidence on the effects of gatekeeping is conflicting and often limited by low internal validity.
Supporting Evidence
- Gatekeeping systems can reduce unnecessary referrals to specialists.
- Countries with gatekeeping systems often have lower healthcare expenditures.
- Patient satisfaction may decrease when access to specialists is restricted.
Takeaway
This study looks at how gatekeeping in healthcare can help or hurt patients by controlling who they see for treatment.
Methodology
A narrative literature review was conducted using scientific databases to gather relevant literature.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from the varying quality of studies included in the review.
Limitations
The evidence on gatekeeping is often of limited quality and conflicting.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website