Examining the scope and quality of health economic evaluations conducted in Kenya: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

Economic evaluations of healthcare interventions are essential for informing evidence-based priority setting and efficient resource allocation. In Kenya, interest in health technology assessment (HTA) is growing as policymakers seek to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making. The HTA process relies heavily on robust economic evidence; however, little is known about the scope and quality of health economic evaluation studies conducted in Kenya. Therefore, this systematic review aims to map the scope and quality of health economic evaluations conducted in Kenya. This systematic review will follow the PRISMA 2020 guideline and has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD420251132258). A literature search across 10 academic databases: MEDLINE via Ovid, PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), EconLit, Web of Science, Scopus, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online (AJOL) will be performed, with no time limit applied. The review will include studies reporting any type of health economic evaluation conducted in Kenya with the human population. Independent reviewers will screen studies, with conflicts resolved by a senior health economist. We will assess quality using the CHEC Extended checklist, Philips checklists, and CHEERS 2022. We will use a narrative synthesis, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, to summarise and report findings from the selected studies. Bibliometric analysis will also be performed.