The Role of Systems Approaches in Health and Care

Abstract

The concept of Health Systems is ubiquitous in the healthcare literature. However, the question 'what is a Health System' is not easy to answer. The emerging field of Health Systems Design is by nature multi-disciplinary, involving several disciplines with different ontological commitments and diverse perspectives and interpretations of health and system. To avoid confusions in communication and facilitate engagement between the design and health communities, it is important to begin an open exploration of the fundamental concepts of Health Systems. This paper is a first step in that endeavour