HEALTH SYSTEMS

RESEARCH
By: Ejalu David Livingstone

Uganda Martyrs University

(MPH-PRH, MPH-HP, MHSM)
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 What is a health system?

• It is the sum total of all the organizations,

institutions and resources whose primary
purpose is to improve health.

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 A health system
• A health system needs staff, funds, information,
supplies, transport, communications and overall
guidance and direction.
• And it needs to provide services that are responsive
and financially fair, while treating people decently.

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HEALTH SYSTEMS RESEARCH

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 Definition 1 of HSR
• It is a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation
that studies how social factors, financing systems and
organizational structures and processes, health
technologies and personal behaviors affect access to
health care, the quality of and cost of health care and
ultimately the health and well being of the population.

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 Definition 2 of HSR
• It is also defined as a systematic study of the means by
which biomedical, sociomedical, and other knowledge is
brought to bear the health of communities under a given
set of conditions.

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 Health Systems Research Vs Health
Services Research.
• Health systems research goes beyond the boundaries of
health services which mostly is limited to narrow
concern with government programs.
• Health Systems research covers the private sector,
indigenous health care providers and practices, efforts
initiated by community itself well as intersectoral
influence on health.
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 Objective of HSR
• To provide health managers at all levels with relevant
information they need to make decisions that can improve
the functioning of the health system.
• Its primary focus is on health care including treatment and
preventive measures, nutrition, family planning,
environment and safety.

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 Role of HSR
• To solve health problems
• To improve health of people through improvement of various
interrelated components of the health system.
• To enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the health system.
• Guides problem analysis from technical and human angle and
translation of research into implementable solutions.
• Assists health system managers in rational health planning, resource
allocation and health system designing.
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Problems with Health Systems (Discuss??)
• Problems with health systems are not confined to poor
countries.
• Some countries have large populations without access to care
because of inequitable arrangements for social protection.
• Others are struggling with escalating costs because of
inefficient use of resources.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
1. Growing recognition
• Overall there is a growing recognition that to
maintain and improve the health of the world’s
people.
• Governments must shape sound, efficient health
systems that provide effective disease prevention and
treatment to all women, men and children, no matter
who they are or where they live.
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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
2. Stewardship
• Stewardship, sometimes more narrowly defined as
governance, refers to the wide range of functions
carried out by governments as they seek to
achieve national health policy objectives.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
3. Financing
• The purpose of health financing is to ensure that
adequate funding is available and the right
financial incentives are in place to guarantee that
all individuals have access to needed preventive
and personal health care.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
4. Workforce

• The performance of health care systems depends

on the knowledge, skills, motivation and
distribution of the people responsible for
organizing and delivering services.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
5. Information
• Accountability,
• Resource allocation
• Programme improvement and
• Management decisions all rely on sound health
information
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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
6. Knowledge

• Fostering environments that encourage the

creation, sharing, and effective application of
knowledge is vital for a health system to function
well.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
7. Drugs and technology

• The availability, quality, efficacy, safety and

rational use of drugs and health technology are
necessary for effective health service delivery.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
8. Growing need for Research

• There remains so many unanswered questions

about how to develop and maintain well-
functioning health systems that progress towards
universal coverage. Research in this area is vital.

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 WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
9. Service delivery

• Just as the principal objective of a health system is

to improve people's health, the chief function the
system needs to perform is to deliver health
services.

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 WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
10. Equity

• Reducing health inequities is important because

health is a fundamental human right and its
progressive realization will eliminate inequalities
that result from differences in health status.

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WHY RESEARCH IN HEALTH SYSTEMS?
11. Health and Development

• Strengthening health systems and making them

more equitable are key strategies for fighting
poverty and fostering development.

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 In our
subsequent
discussions, we
shall go through
this HSR cycle,
step by step.

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 Thank you.

Questions???????

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