Waste in health care spending: A scoping review

In most developed countries, the sustained increase in health care spending has concentrated the efforts of governments and international organizations to identify sources and implement strategies to mitigate waste in health spending, thus contributing to efficiency and equity in health systems.This research aimed to account for evidence on sources of wasteful health spending according to domains proposed by Berwick and Hackbarth (2012). A systematic exploratory review was conducted on search engines, PUBMED, Web of Science, and the Center for Review and Dissemination (CRD) of the University of York and the NHS. The search strategy focused on quantitative studies that were original articles on the six Berwick and Hackbarth domains.The proliferation of this type of study, especially in developed countries, clearly expresses a global concern for the generation of scientific evidence, which allows the design and implementation of public policies and strategies to mitigate and control excessive health spending. Middle-income countries should urgently incorporate cost-effective clinical practices to improve resource allocation.Therefore, it is urgent to generate empirical evidence on inefficient, excessive, or wasteful health spending, which allows the design and implementation of public policies to achieve better efficiency and equity in the medium term.