Quality Assessment Indicators for Well-Child Care in Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review of Global Trends, Standardization, and Dimensions of Care

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Well-child care plays a critical role in promoting child health and monitoring growth and development within Primary Health Care (PHC), in line with international frameworks such as the WHO Global Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the absence of standardized quality indicators limits comparability across studies and hinders continuous improvement worldwide. This study aimed to map and analyze the indicators used to assess the quality of well-child care in global PHC settings. <b>Methods:</b> A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR and Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidance, with a pre-registered protocol. Comprehensive searches were performed in May 2025 across fourteen databases and two gray literature sources, without language or time restrictions. Eligible studies assessed quality indicators for well-child care among children up to 5 years, 11 months, and 29 days. Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction. <b>Results:</b> From 6052 records, 62 studies met inclusion criteria. Out of them, most (68%) used composite indicators, primarily from pre-existing tools (67%). While structural and clinical indicators-such as immunization and service accessibility-were predominant, there was a critical absence of relational indicators focusing on patient-provider interaction. This lack of standardization and neglect of the relational dimension significantly hinders international comparability and the assessment of family-centered care quality. <b>Conclusions:</b> Developing and validating a core set of standardized, comprehensive, and context-sensitive indicators integrating structural, clinical, and relational dimensions is essential. These should be linked to information systems to enable robust national and international comparison, strengthen evidence-based management, and drive continuous quality improvement to achieve the 2030 Agenda goals. These findings provide a foundation for policymakers to develop standardized monitoring tools that prioritize neglected relational aspects of care.

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Journal
Children
Published
2026-03-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children13030382
Primary Topic
Primary Care and Health Outcomes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Quality Assessment Indicators for Well-Child Care in Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review of Global Trends, Standardization, and Dimensions of Care

Rafael Damasceno de Barros, Ítalo Cavalcante Aguiar, Lígia Regina Franco Sansigolo Kerr, Galba Freire Moita et al.
Children
Primary Care and Health Outcomes
article

Quality Assessment Indicators for Well-Child Care in Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review of Global Trends, Standardization, and Dimensions of Care

Rafael Damasceno de Barros, Ítalo Cavalcante Aguiar, Lígia Regina Franco Sansigolo Kerr, Galba Freire Moita, Rejane Christine de Sousa Queiroz, Márcia Maria Tavares Machado, Carl Kendall, RS Almeida, Márcia Rocha Oliseski, Maria Del Pilar Quispe, A. V. Batista da Silva, Priscila Ribas de Farias Costa, Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva, Carlos Lira, Anya Vieira-Meyer, Izabele Lôbo, Maria Yuri Ichihara, Elzo Pinto Júnior
article en

Abstract

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Well-child care plays a critical role in promoting child health and monitoring growth and development within Primary Health Care (PHC), in line with international frameworks such as the WHO Global Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the absence of standardized quality indicators limits comparability across studies and hinders continuous improvement worldwide. This study aimed to map and analyze the indicators used to assess the quality of well-child care in global PHC settings. <b>Methods:</b> A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR and Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidance, with a pre-registered protocol. Comprehensive searches were performed in May 2025 across fourteen databases and two gray literature sources, without language or time restrictions. Eligible studies assessed quality indicators for well-child care among children up to 5 years, 11 months, and 29 days. Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction. <b>Results:</b> From 6052 records, 62 studies met inclusion criteria. Out of them, most (68%) used composite indicators, primarily from pre-existing tools (67%). While structural and clinical indicators-such as immunization and service accessibility-were predominant, there was a critical absence of relational indicators focusing on patient-provider interaction. This lack of standardization and neglect of the relational dimension significantly hinders international comparability and the assessment of family-centered care quality. <b>Conclusions:</b> Developing and validating a core set of standardized, comprehensive, and context-sensitive indicators integrating structural, clinical, and relational dimensions is essential. These should be linked to information systems to enable robust national and international comparison, strengthen evidence-based management, and drive continuous quality improvement to achieve the 2030 Agenda goals. These findings provide a foundation for policymakers to develop standardized monitoring tools that prioritize neglected relational aspects of care.

ChildrenVol. 13(3)
Tulane University (US), Universidade Federal da Bahia (BR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (BR), Knowledge Integration (United Kingdom) (GB), Faculdades Oswaldo Cruz (BR), Ministério da Saúde (BR), Universidade Federal do Maranhão (BR), Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (BR)
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 33%
Primary Care and Health Outcomes
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