1b Systems Theory and Improvement Flashcards
What is a system?
A system is a collection of parts (or subsystems) integrated to accomplish an overall goal
What is a system of people called?
An organization
What must health care systems be able to do in order to survive?
Improve.
How should health care systems aim to improve?
Learning about making and encouraging change, managing the change within and across organizations, and learning from the changes tested will characterize the sustainable, thriving health systems of the future.
What is the relationship between goals and concepts/methods?
Setting goals was once enough, but it is clear that goals must be coupled with the concepts and specific methods to produce sustainable change.
What is “systems thinking”?
cross-disciplinary study of how anything in the universe might be related to anything else.
… is a way of helping a person to view the world, including its organizations, from a broad perspective that includes structures, patterns and events, rather than just the events themselves. This broad view helps one to identify the real causes of issues and know where to work to address them
What dies systems thinking accomplish?
It examines the relatedness and organisation and of all things, regardless of what, where or when. It investigates the principles that are common to all complex entities, and develops model (mathematical, schematic or conceptual) which can be used to describe things, and the relationships between them. (AROW)
What are complex systems, such as social systems, comprised of?
Comprised of numerous subsystems. It is arranged in hierarchies.
It is integrated to accomplish the overall goal of the overall system.
What are some of the “boundaries” that each subsystem has?
Includes inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes.
All geared to accomplish an overall goal for the subsystem.
What are some system characteristics?
A number of distinct entities, called elements.
The elements are in some kind of relationship to each other.
What does the relationship between elements in a system generate?
This relationship generates a new entity at a ‘higher’ level of analysis (the elements with their relationships constitute a system).
It is possible to distinguish between the elements and relationships that are part of the system, and those which are outside of it (the system has a boundary). (AROW)
What is a health system?
The system includes all actors, institutions and resources that undertake health actions - where a health action is one where the primary intent is to improve health.
What are some other intrinsic goals of a health system besides improving population health?
to be responsive to the population they serve, determined by the way and the environment in which people are treated, and
to ensure that the financial burden of paying for health is fairly distributed across households.
What are four key functions that determine the way inputs are transformed into outcomes that people value?
Resource generation
Financing
Service provision
Stewardship
What is “health”? (according to wikipedia)
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person’s mind and body, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain.
What is the definition of health according to the WHO?
The world health organization (WHO) defined health in its broader sense in 1946 as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
What is a health care system? (According to the free dictionary)
The complete network of agencies, facilities, and all providers of health care in a specified geographic area.
What is Canada’s health care system?
Canada’s health care system is a group of socialized health insurance plans that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens. It is publicly funded and administered on a provincial or territorial basis, within guidelines set by the federal government.
What is “system-environment boundary”?
Distinction between what is inside the system and outside the system.
What is interconnectedness?
Sometimes something is “outside” the system, but still very much connected to the system.
What are some general socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions that contribute to health outcomes?
Living and working conditions Work Education Agriculture and food production Unemployment Water and sanitation Health care services Housing
What are four overall categories of contributors to health outcomes?
General socio-economic, cultural, and environmental conditions
Social and community networks
Individual lifestyle factors
Age, sex, and constitutional factors
What are some systems concepts?
System-environment boundary Interconnectedness Input Process Output/outcome State Hierarchy Goal-directedness Information
What are the levels of authority in the health care system?
Federal government Provincial government Health authority -contracted agency Executive Leadership Supervisor Front line staff
What are some different levels of care within the health care system?
Pre-clinical care Primary care Secondary care Tertiary care Quaternary care
What is pre-clinical care?
Self-care, mutual care
What is primary care?
Services provided at first contact between the patient and health care professional.
What is included in primary care?
Treatment, promotion and maintenance of health, complete continuing care
What is secondary care?
Specialist care that includes hospital services
What is tertiary care?
Specialist care for more difficult problems found at a university teaching hospital
What is quaternary care?
Highly specialized care, often only one centre in a province
What is the mission statement for Fraser Health?
We are committed to supporting healthy lives in healthy communities with our partners in care, education and research.
What happens if one part of the system is removed?
The nature of the system is changed.
What are the key principles related to systems and improvement?
Need a purpose to aid in managing interdependencies
Structure significantly determines performance
Changes in structure have potential for unintended consequences
Structure dictates benefits that accrue to system players
Size and scope of the system influence potential for improvement
Need for cooperation logical extension of interdependencies
Must be managed
Improvements must be led
How can systems thinking help us?
Health reform
Organizational renewal
Professional relationships
Political developments
