Week 1-2: Aquiring Tools to Study Health Systems Flashcards
What is the WHO Definition of Health?
Not simply the lack of disease and/or infirmity but also the general positive physical, mental, and social well being.
What is disease?
Biologically defined perspective from professional’s perspective. Seen in terms of theory of disorder.
What is sickness?
Social and cultural understanding of condition. Important to how patient reacts to condition. Includes disorder suitable for medical treatment.
What is Illness?
Patient’s subjective experience. Symptoms and what they decide to bring to doctor.
What is Health?
Influenced by non-modifiable risk factors (eg. cancer)
What is Wellness?
Determined by modifiable risk factors (eg. Has cancer but good lifestyle).
Fill in the Blank:
Health is a __________________.
Social Construct
Cultural, social, & historical variations health and illness definition.
What is Sociology?
Study of society. Understand how societies function and patterns. Underlying mechanisms of social world in which people live.
What is individual agency?
Refers to individual choices and decisions. Can be constrained by social roles (eg. responsibilities).
What is Social Structure?
Stable Patterns of Social Relations. Everything in our society is built based on our social and cultural beliefs.
(politics, economics, religion, social country stuff)
What is sociological imagination?
Ability to see linkages between personal troubles and larger social issues.
What are the four tools for analyzing health systems?
- Structural Functionalism
- Conflict/Critical Perspectives
- Symbolic Interactionism
- Systems Thinking
What are the Three Different types of theories?
Micro, Meso, and Macro
What does a micro theory entail?
Directly relates to interactions between individuals and social groups.
What does Meso theories entail?
Social organizations or institutions.
Eg. Studying how things are organized in hospital or university
What does a Macro level theory entail?
The overall big picture, comparing classes, social institutions, etc.
(eg. comparing health systems in Canada vs France)
What is Structural Functionalism?
Harmonious social system, interconnectedness, linkages between one system and another. Deterministic in nature.
Simply put what is Structural Functionalism?
All things in society is good, everything is fine.
If one thing goes wrong everything falls apart. (Eg. Economy goes down, people sad)
In order for society to function and thrive institutions must exist.
Eg. Racism makes healthcare system fall apart
What is Marxism (Conflict Theory)?
Class relations
Bourgeoise (capatalist class), and Poletariat (working class). Exchange of resources in society.
What was Max Weber’s Idea?
Social Stratification, role of religion/culture (verstechen). Intro of middle and service class to social stratification.
Religious and political figures have respect.
What is a characteristic of Protestantism?
Relates to hard work, capitalism flourished.
What is/are the Critical Approaches theories?
Gender, race/ethnicity
Been discussed since 1970s.
What is the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective?
Focuses on the meaning making activities of individuals. Explores how we make sense of our social interactions with others. We derives reality from social interactions.
Focus on individuals, micro approach.
What is System’s Thinking?
Goes against reductionist approach, assumes interconnectedness of many parts of system (society). Looks at how change in 1 part impacts other parts.
What are some examples of system’s thinking?
- Historically 1 doctor for everything, now we have specialties
- During COVID approach to fighting crisis was interconnected (society, individual, financial system, economy, environment).
What is an example of the system (not) thinking?
Malaria started spreading, WHO recommended DDT, caused chaos in ecosystem, resulted in plauge bc cats died, parachute cats, plauge fixed
Moral of story: everything is connected.
What is the concept of counter intuitive and history dependance?
From reading
Humans still alive, anticipated outcome ≠ real outcome
What is the concept of self-organizing and self-stabilizing?
Arise spontaneously from structure
What is the concept of Purposeful?
Exists for a reason
Meaning of Constantly Changing?
Situation change, hard to predict outcome
Meaning of governed by feedback
Influenced by feedback
Meaning of Non-linear and interconnected?
Many ways one system affects others
Meaning of capable of replicating, maintaining, repairing and organizing themselves?
Strongly resilient and adaptable
What is a Health System?
Consists of all organizations, people, and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health. Includes efforts to influence determinants as well as more direct health-improving activities.
Pyramid of publicly owned facilities delivering personal health services
What are the 3 goals of a health system?
- Improving population health
- Improving responsiveness of population
- Fairness in financial contributions
What are the 4 health system functions?
- Creating resources (inputs) (meds & workers)
- Delivering Services
- Financing (raising resources, pooling & purchasing)
- Stewardship (oversight)
What are the 3 important parts of stewardship
oversight
- Health Population should be national priority
- Free markets in health services do not deliver equitable universal health coverage
- Key role for the state in setting the rules of the game; monitoring performance and improving accountablility
How do you measure Health System Performance?
- Ideally use outcome indicators
- Health Status
- Financial Protection
- Responsiveness - Don’t focus on absolute levels of distribution bc we are concerned about equity
- World Health Report (2000) and others created include to increase overall performance
What are the building blocks of the health system?
- Health Service delivery
- Health Workforces
- Health Information System
- Access to essential medicines
- Health Systems Financing
- Leadership and governance
