ASSESSMENT 1 BRIEF

Systems thinking helps us to understand the elements and relationships/interconnectedness of parts to a system. Currently, the use of systems thinking is being advocated in public health as a new paradigm shift. It aids in the solving of complex and intractable public health problems and the identification of risk factors for the achievement of health systems goals/good population health outcomes.

You are required to thoroughly research and write a critical individual report on systems thinking and its application to strengthening the six building blocks of health systems for the reduction/prevention of a chosen public health problem/issue for a selected country.

Instructions

You are required to:

• ·         Identify a country (e.g., Australia or any other country) and a public health issue. Public health problems/issues include excessive alcohol consumption, food safety, heart disease and stroke, road traffic accidents, nutrition, physical activity and obesity, tobacco use, water, sanitation and hygiene, HIV, drug abuse and mental health;
• ·         Provide a critical analysis of the concept of systems thinking and how it can be applied to public health;
• ·         Discuss the six health systems building blocks as proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO);
• ·         Discuss why the chosen public health issue is complex in the context of the chosen country based on the building blocks and thus requires systems thinking; and
• ·         Apply and analyse how systems thinking can be used to reduce/mitigate the selected public health issue along with the building blocks of the health systems of the chosen country.

Structure of the Report

Introduction

• ·         Provide an overview of the key characteristics of the chosen country, including its population, health status indicators (e.g., disease prevalence/incidence, morbidity, mortality and life expectancy at birth) and health system indicators (e.g., service utilisation/health service access, hospital bed density, availability of essential medicines and commodities, health worker density and distribution) (use any three of the stated indicators).

• ·         Describe the selected public health issue and why it is an issue for the chosen country (use data/statistics to support your claim).

• ·         Provide an overview of the whole assessment to serve as a guide for the reader, explaining that the assessment will use the concept of systems thinking to help prevent/reduce the chosen public health problem of the chosen country and will offer solutions based on the health system building blocks.

Main body

• ·         Critically discuss the concept of systems thinking and its application to public health issues. 

• ·         Discuss in detail the health system building blocks as proposed by the WHO.

• ·         Critically examine why the current organisation and functioning of the building blocks pose a challenge to solving the identified public health problem for the chosen country (examine the barriers to the use of systems thinking to solve the problem given the current organisation and functioning of the building blocks).

• ·         Discuss ANY other barriers outside the building blocks (if any).
•          Apply systems thinking to strengthen the health system building blocks for reduction/mitigation (suggest solutions based on systems thinking along the building blocks of the health systems).

• ·         Propose ANY other solutions outside the building blocks of the health systems (if any).

Conclusion

Provide a concise summary of all the ideas discussed in the assessment. New ideas should not be introduced at this stage.

Note: All sections of the report must be backed by relevant literature from credible sources, such as text books, journal articles and reports. These should be cited using the APA 7th style.