Title |
The application of systems thinking in health: why use systems thinking?
|
---|---|
Published in |
Health Research Policy and Systems, August 2014
|
DOI | 10.1186/1478-4505-12-51 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
David H Peters |
Abstract |
This paper explores the question of what systems thinking adds to the field of global health. Observing that elements of systems thinking are already common in public health research, the article discusses which of the large body of theories, methods, and tools associated with systems thinking are more useful. The paper reviews the origins of systems thinking, describing a range of the theories, methods, and tools. A common thread is the idea that the behavior of systems is governed by common principles that can be discovered and expressed. They each address problems of complexity, which is a frequent challenge in global health. The different methods and tools are suited to different types of inquiry and involve both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The paper concludes by emphasizing that explicit models used in systems thinking provide new opportunities to understand and continuously test and revise our understanding of the nature of things, including how to intervene to improve people's health. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 14 | 21% |
United States | 7 | 10% |
Canada | 5 | 7% |
Switzerland | 3 | 4% |
Lebanon | 1 | 1% |
Tunisia | 1 | 1% |
Colombia | 1 | 1% |
South Africa | 1 | 1% |
Sri Lanka | 1 | 1% |
Other | 5 | 7% |
Unknown | 28 | 42% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 42 | 63% |
Scientists | 13 | 19% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 10 | 15% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 4 | <1% |
United States | 4 | <1% |
South Africa | 2 | <1% |
Canada | 2 | <1% |
Switzerland | 1 | <1% |
Thailand | 1 | <1% |
Sri Lanka | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 875 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 184 | 21% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 118 | 13% |
Researcher | 99 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 54 | 6% |
Other | 48 | 5% |
Other | 155 | 17% |
Unknown | 232 | 26% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 146 | 16% |
Social Sciences | 136 | 15% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 97 | 11% |
Business, Management and Accounting | 39 | 4% |
Engineering | 29 | 3% |
Other | 167 | 19% |
Unknown | 276 | 31% |