The global impact of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in decreasing barriers to accessing healthcare services in high-risk communities: a scoping review

The purpose of this scoping review is to identify different measures that have been used to assess the global impact of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to reduce healthcare challenges, explore different strategies, interventions, and resources that have been used by NGOs in addressing barriers to accessing healthcare services, and share the lessons learned and future recommendations to maintain a sustainable impact in the reduction of obstacles to attaining quality healthcare. The study was guided by the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. The York methodology created by Arksey and O'Malley served as the basis for this scoping review. The 22 included studies were published between 2012 and 2024. Main strategies to help bridge healthcare challenges in low-income and rural communities include community mobilization and creation of mobile clinics to help increase access to care. The evaluation tools that were used to assess impact of intervention on the target population included questionnaires and surveys given to target population (n = 8); new morbidity cases (n = 3); and validated framework analysis (n = 2), among others. Two hundred and eleven implementation strategies (n = 211) were identified, corresponding to 48 of the SISTER strategies (64%). A range of 4 through 18 were reported in any 1 study. The most commonly reported SISTER strategies, identified in 45% of included studies, were: "Distribute educational materials" (#42) and "Develop educational materials" (#41). Findings from this review may contribute to the establishment and dissemination of a standardized framework for adaptation by NGOs to improve global health outcomes.