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Overview of the Systems Thinking Module
In this 21st Century, we find ourselves facing a myriad of complex health challenges that require multi- lateral and multi-disciplinary approaches to solve. Cross-border disease outbreaks like Ebola, West Nile Virus, tuberculosis (TB) and the like, call for stakeholders all over the world to work together to address other concomitant issues surrounding the outbreaks. This is the One Health guiding principle.
One Health is an important global activity based on the concept that human, animal and environmental/ ecosystem health are interdependent. Therefore, professionals working in these areas can best serve the population by collaborating to better understand all the factors involved in disease transmission, ecosystem health, the emergence of novel pathogens and emerging zoonotic agents, including environmental contaminants and toxins that are capable of causing substantial morbidity and mortality, and impacting on socio-economic growth, including in less developed countries. The solution to One Health problems thus requires a Systems Thinking approach.
Systems Thinking is the use of various techniques to study systems of many kinds. It is the process of understanding how other systems influence one another within a complete entity or larger system. In nature, systems thinking examples would be ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants and animals work together to either survive or perish. In organizations, systems consist of people, structures and processes that work together to make it healthy or unhealthy. In public health and epidemiology, systems thinking approach would involve surveillance and response systems to anticipate and manage an outbreak like Ebola. Such a comprehensive system would ensure that ‘hot spots’ of Ebola are identified early so that local and national health care systems are quickly mobilized and policy makers are appropriately informed to take relevant action to prevent the spread of the disease. This approach would help the health policy makers build programs and policies that are aware of and prepared for unintended consequences.
Systems Thinking differs fundamentally from traditional analytical or statistical methods which focus on separating the individual components of what is being studied or analyzed. However, Systems Thinking focuses on how the ‘thing’ being studied interacts with other components and constituents of the system. It therefore looks at an expanded view that considers larger numbers of interacting issues within the system being studied. This is very important in generating relevant information especially when the issue being analyzed is dynamic or complex, and giving feedback from both internal and external sources.
Systems Thinking is a relevant One Health approach to problem-solving designed to help participants develop a broader system of interaction in solving infectious disease issues, increase exposure to and improve cross-sectoral and inter-professional collaboration on key disease surveillance and outbreaks. The approach also provides practical strategies useful for field investigations of disease outbreaks.
This module provides participants with the skills necessary to take a systems thinking approach to emerging pandemic diseases. Knowing that men and women have different roles and perspectives that may impact differently on interventions of emerging pandemic diseases and their outcomes, this module will integrate gender perspectives and issues at all levels of systems thinking strategies and processes that will not only add value to the planned outcomes but also promote gender equality and equity.