Quality of care reform: a case for systems thinking and human centred design capabilities

Elizabeth Mitgang and colleagues argue that building capacity in applied systems thinking and human centred design mindsets and methods can help improve quality of care, particularly in low and middle income settings

Health systems are social systems where outcomes for people and communities hinge on their ability to access high quality care when and where they need it. Yet globally, health systems often do not adequately take into consideration the interactions between people, communities, healthcare providers, and the enabling environment.1 The complementary approaches of applied systems thinking and human centred design are gaining traction as methods that can help tackle deficiencies and improve the quality of health services and experiences.1234

Systems thinking offers a practical way to see inter-relations and patterns of change rather than static “snapshots,” and to visualise emergent connections across the people and processes that comprise health systems.56 Human centred design augments this perspective. It focuses on engaging people affected by an identified challenge and designing solutions collaboratively for increased accessibility.3

Beyond improving the quality of medical products and services, systems thinking and human centred design …

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Elizabeth Mitgang , Jumana Qamruddin , Jennifer Rasanathan , Kojo Twum Nimako , Juan Franco , Emma Veitch , Regina Kamoga , Lancet Global Health Commission , Melinda Gates Foundation , World Bank , World Health Organization , Twum Nimako , Johns Hopkins Hospital , Melinda Gates , Open Access , Creative Commons Attribution ,