Evaluability assessments in health: A systematic review of trends, methods, and strategic lessons

Over the past two decades, evaluability assessments have gained prominence as a practical and cost-effective strategy to enhance evaluation readiness in health. Despite their growing use, concerns remain about their conceptual clarity, methodological rigor, and practical application. This study presents a systematic literature review to examine the evolution, implementation, and lessons learned from evaluability assessments in health-related contexts. Guided by three research questions, it investigates how evaluability assessments have developed, how they have been applied methodologically, and what insights emerge from their implementation. A hybrid approach combining bibliometric mapping and domain-based methodological assessment was employed. Findings highlight that while evaluability assessments are structured and resource-efficient, they face recurring challenges, particularly in selecting theoretical frameworks and ensuring high-quality data collection. Promising practices include collaboration between internal and external evaluators and meaningful stakeholder engagement. This review advances evaluative thinking and offers an agenda for future research and practice in health evaluation.