To determine how high performing is defined in relation to a health system and chart the literature on the definitions and key concepts of high-performing healthcare systems.

Scoping review.

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to July 2024. The grey literature was also searched.

Included studies reported on health systems and high performance to identify explicit definitions, research outcomes and knowledge gaps.

Two reviewers independently screened 5721 citations and 507 full-text articles, resulting in the inclusion of 35 primary articles and 47 companion documents in the review. Three independent definitions for a high-performance health system were identified. 24 research studies reported outcomes on the elements of a high-performing health system (58%), system evaluation (32%) and tool development or validation (10%). Knowledge gaps identified were the lack of a common definition, a lack of common indicators, strategies for moving evidence into policy and practice, and difficulties with comparisons across health systems.

We found limited definitions and a lack of empirical evidence on our topic. There is an opportunity for primary research in the area of health systems and high performance.