Our analysis shows few instances where there is full integration of a health intervention or where an intervention is completely non-integrated .
Instead , there exists a highly heterogeneous picture both for the nature and also for the extent of integration .
Health systems combine both non-integrated and integrated interventions , but the balance of these interventions varies considerably
A longst and ing debate on health systems organization relates to benefits of integrating  health programmes that emphasize specific interventions into mainstream health systems to increase access and improve health outcomes .
This debate has long been characterized by polarization of views and ideologies , with protagonists for and against integration arguing the relative merits of each approach .
However , all too frequently these arguments have not been based on hard evidence .
The presence of both integrated and non-integrated programmes in many countries suggests there may be benefits to either approach , but the relative merits of integration in various context s and for different interventions have not been systematic ally analysed and documented .
In this paper we present findings of a systematic review that explores a broad range of evidence on : ( i ) the extent and nature of the integration of targeted health programmes that emphasize specific interventions into critical health systems functions , ( ii ) how the integration or non-integration of health programmes into critical health systems functions in different context s has influenced programme success , ( iii ) how context ual factors have affected the extent to which these programmes were integrated into critical health systems functions .
Increasing contraceptive use in rural Pakistan: an evaluation of the Lady Health Worker Programme.
Past efforts to promote  family planning in Pakistan have been disappointing , but between 1990 - 91 and 2000 - 01 contraceptive use has more than doubled . This rise has coincided with a concerted effort on the part of the Pakistani government to increase access to contraceptive services , particularly in rural areas . The Lady Health Worker Programme ( LHWP ) , initiated under the Ministry of Health in the early 1990s , aim ed at integrating family planning into the doorstep provision of primary health care . This paper presents findings from the first national evaluation of this Programme . Data are analyzed from a r and om sample survey of 4277 women living in households served by the LHWP and those living in control areas .  Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of the Programme on the uptake of modern reversible contraceptive methods  , controlling for other independent variables . The data provide strong evidence that the LHWP has succeeded in increasing modern contraceptive use among rural women . Women served by Lady Health Workers are significantly more likely to use a modern reversible method  than women in communities not served by the Programme ( OR=1.50 , 95 % CI=1.04 - 2.16 , p=0.031 ) , even after controlling for various household and individual characteristics . The model of providing doorstep services through community-based female workers should remain central to achieving universal access to safe family planning methods  by the end of the decade -- the long-term objective of Pakistan 's most recent population policy adopted in 2002
Our analysis shows few instances where there is full integration of a health intervention or where an intervention is completely non-integrated .
Instead , there exists a highly heterogeneous picture both for the nature and also for the extent of integration .
Health systems combine both non-integrated and integrated interventions , but the balance of these interventions varies considerably
A longst and ing debate on health systems organization relates to benefits of integrating  health programmes that emphasize specific interventions into mainstream health systems to increase access and improve health outcomes .
This debate has long been characterized by polarization of views and ideologies , with protagonists for and against integration arguing the relative merits of each approach .
However , all too frequently these arguments have not been based on hard evidence .
The presence of both integrated and non-integrated programmes in many countries suggests there may be benefits to either approach , but the relative merits of integration in various context s and for different interventions have not been systematic ally analysed and documented .
In this paper we present findings of a systematic review that explores a broad range of evidence on : ( i ) the extent and nature of the integration of targeted health programmes that emphasize specific interventions into critical health systems functions , ( ii ) how the integration or non-integration of health programmes into critical health systems functions in different context s has influenced programme success , ( iii ) how context ual factors have affected the extent to which these programmes were integrated into critical health systems functions .