Methodological Assessment of Urban Primary Care Networks in Tanzania: A Systematic Review of Randomized Field Trials

Urban primary care networks are crucial for improving healthcare access in urban areas of Tanzania. However, their effectiveness and methodological rigor have not been systematically evaluated. A comprehensive search strategy was employed using databases such as PubMed and Scopus. Eligible studies were identified based on predefined inclusion criteria, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in urban settings of Tanzania with a focus on primary care networks. Studies published between and were considered. Of the 459 articles screened, 28 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. The majority of studies (71%) used cluster randomization to account for potential clustering effects in primary care networks. Participant characteristics varied widely across trials. The review highlights methodological heterogeneity and variability in participant selection and intervention implementation, which may affect the generalizability of findings. Future research should prioritise standardising study designs and reporting methodologies to enhance comparability and reliability of results. Standardised outcome measures are also recommended to facilitate meta-analytic integration. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.