Decoding the Complexity of Healthcare Resilience
Healthcare resilience has been a buzzword, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does it really mean? A recent systematic review dives deep into this complex subject, offering a unified framework that could be a game-changer.
The Source Article Details
Healthcare resilience: a meta-narrative systematic review and synthesis of reviews by Mark Z Y Tan et al. in 2023.
The Source Article's Abstract
Objectives
The COVID-19 pandemic has tested global healthcare resilience. Many countries previously considered 'resilient' have performed poorly. This study aims to explore and synthesise evidence about healthcare resilience and present a unified framework for future resilience-building.
Design
Systematic review and synthesis of reviews using a meta-narrative approach.
Setting
Healthcare organisations and systems.
Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures
Definitions, concepts and measures of healthcare resilience. We used thematic analysis across included reviews to summarise evidence on healthcare resilience.
Results
The main paradigms within healthcare resilience include global health, disaster risk reduction, emergency management, patient safety and public health.
Conclusion
Resilience increasingly takes an all-hazards approach and a process-oriented perspective. There is increasing recognition of the relational aspects of resilience.
The Source Article References
- What is resilience and how can it be nurtured? A systematic review of empirical literature on organizational resilience by Barasa, 2018 in Int J Health Policy Manag
- How COVID-19 has fundamentally changed clinical research in global health by Park, 2021 in Lancet Glob Health
- Measuring resilience engineering: an integrative review and framework for bench-marking organisational safety by Pillay, 2020 in Safety
- Impact of extreme weather events and climate change for health and social care systems by Curtis, 2017 in Environ Health
- Health system resilience: concept development by Koeva, 2020 in JofIMAB
- Investigating resilience in emergency management: an integrative review of literature by Son, 2020 in Appl Ergon
- Resilience research and policy/practice discourse in health, social, behavioral, and environmental sciences over the last ten years by Almedom, 2008 in Afr Health Sci
- Recovery for development: a multi-dimensional, practice-oriented framework for transformative change post-disaster by McClelland, 2023 in J Dev Stud
- The COVID-19 Infodemic: mechanism, impact, and counter-measures—A review of reviews by Ries, 2022 in Sustainability
- Confusion and denial: need for systems thinking to understand the HIV epidemic in Pakistan by Abdullah, 2014 in J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad
- A guide to writing a qualitative systematic review protocol to enhance evidence-based practice in nursing and health care by Butler, 2016 in Worldviews Evid Based Nurs
- Conceptual analysis of health systems resilience: a scoping review by Turenne, 2019 in Soc Sci Med
- A review of definitions and measures of system resilience by Hosseini, 2016 in Reliab Eng Syst Saf
- Methodological strategies in resilient health care studies: an integrative review by Berg, 2018 in Safety Science
- Bouncing back together: toward a theoretical model of work team resilience by Stoverink, 2020 in AMR
- Disaster preparedness and mitigation in Indonesia: a narrative review by Ayuningtyas, 2021 in Iran J Public Health
- The impact of disasters on emergency department resources: review against the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030 by Carrington, 2021 in Australas Emerg Care
- The changing health priorities of earthquake response and implications for preparedness: a scoping review by Cartwright, 2017 in Public Health
- Safer hospital infrastructure assessments for socio-natural disaster - A scoping review by Luke, 2021 in Prehosp Disaster Med
- Enhancing the understanding of resilience in health systems of low- and middle-income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis by Grimm, 2022 in Int J Health Policy Manag
Citing the Source Article (APA)
Tan, M.Z.Y., Prager, G., McClelland, A., Dark, P. (2023). Healthcare resilience: a meta-narrative systematic review and synthesis of reviews. BMJ Open, 13(9), e072136-e072136. 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072136
Why This Study Matters
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities in healthcare systems worldwide. This study is timely and crucial as it aims to redefine what healthcare resilience means and how it can be measured.
It’s not just about being prepared for a pandemic; it’s about creating systems that are adaptable, sustainable, and equitable.
Key Takeaways
- All-Hazards Approach: The study advocates for an all-encompassing approach to resilience, not just focusing on disaster preparedness.
- Multi-level resilience: From individual healthcare providers to international organizations, resilience needs to be built at every level.
- Process-Oriented Perspective: Resilience is not a one-time achievement but a continuous process.
PP-ICONS Analysis
The article is a systematic review, and it checks all the boxes of the PP-ICONS approach:
- Problem: Lack of a unified framework for healthcare resilience.
- Intervention: Meta-narrative systematic review.
- Comparison: Various paradigms in healthcare resilience.
- Outcome: A unified framework for healthcare resilience.
- Number of Subjects: Multiple studies were included in the review.
- Statistics: Thematic analysis across reviews.
What’s Next in Healthcare Resilience?
The study leaves us with more questions than answers. How can this framework be implemented across different healthcare systems? What are the metrics for success?
It’s clear that building resilience is a complex task that requires a multi-disciplinary approach. The study serves as a foundation upon which future research can be built.
So, what do you think about this new framework for healthcare resilience? Is it the answer we’ve been waiting for, or is there more to the story? Leave your thoughts below.