Objectives Reports of quality improvement (QI) research from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain sparse in the scientific literature. The authors reviewed the published literature to describe the characteristics of such reports.

Methods The authors conducted a systematic search for QI research articles from LMICs catalogued in the PubMed databases prior to December 2011, complemented by recommendations from experts in the field. Articles were categorised based on bibliometric and research characteristics. Twenty papers were randomly selected for narrative analysis regarding strategies used to present the methods and results of interventions.

Results Seventy-six articles met the inclusion criteria. Publication rate accelerated over time, particularly among observational studies. Most studies did not use a concurrent control group; pre-/post-study designs were most common overall. Four papers were published in top-tier journals, 17 in journals at the top of their specialty and 20 in quality-specific journals. Among the papers selected for narrative analysis, four distinct components were observed in most: a description of the problem state, a description of the improvement processes and tools, a separate description of the interventions tested and a description of the evaluation methods.

Discussion The small number of articles identified by this review suggests that publication of QI research from LMICs remains challenging. However, recent increases in publication rates, especially among observational studies, may attest to greater interest in the topic among scientific audiences. Though the authors are not able to compare this sample with unpublished papers, the four components observed by them in the narrative analysis seem to strengthen QI research reports.