ArticleHealth policy and planning2012
Rethinking health systems strengthening: key systems thinking tools and strategies for transformational change.
Article in Health policy and planning, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 103 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
103 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Examining the nexus between medical education and complexity: a systematic review to inform practice and research.BMC medical education · 2023Pooled it
- Systems approach to health service design, delivery and improvement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- A systematic review of factors that shape implementation of mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis in sub-Saharan Africa.BMC public health · 2017Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Building the capacity of policy-makers and planners to strengthen mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2016Pooled it
- The Astronomy of Africa's Health Systems Literature During the MDG Era: Where Are the Systems Clusters?Global health, science and practice · 2015Pooled it
- Monitoring the ability to deliver care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of health facility assessment tools.Health policy and planning · 2015Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Multifaceted Strategies to Increase Influenza Vaccination Uptake: A Cluster Randomized Trial.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- The impact of a community-based intervention on weight, weight-related behaviours and health-related quality of life in primary school children in Victoria, Australia, according to socio-economic position.BMC public health · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Are global health commitments relevant in low-income countries? Considering discussions at Davos 2026.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Extracting homogenous data from heterogenous diseases: RaraSwed, the Swedish national rare disease quality registry.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
- Mapping review on breaking bad news and design of SAFE & CARING protocol for pediatric hematology-oncology.PEC innovation · 2026Article
- Essential Factors That Support National Implementation of Designated Registered Nurse Prescribing: A Systems-Thinking Approach.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- Institutionalization of assistive health technology in India: establishment of a national centre within the IIT-AIIMS ecosystem.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Aligning Indigenous and Western Concepts of Health Resource Decision Making in a Western Canadian First Nations Context.Applied health economics and health policy · 2026Article
- Co-creation in research, policy engagement and advocacy: Lessons and limits from two decades of practice at the African Population and Health Research Center.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Conceptualization and implementation of community social prescribing evaluation: a case study of the co-designedFrontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Accountability for tackling childhood obesity: insights from local councillors in England.Journal of public health policy · 2025Article
- Building Leadership Capacity Through Systems Thinking: Principles and Habits for Educators.New directions for student leadership · 2025Article
43 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
While reaching consensus on future plans to address current global health challenges is far from easy, there is broad agreement that reductionist approaches that suggest a limited set of targeted interventions to improve health around the world are inadequate. We argue that a comprehensive systems perspective should guide health practice, education, research and policy. We propose key 'systems thinking' tools and strategies that have the potential for transformational change in health systems. Three overarching themes span these tools and strategies: collaboration across disciplines, sectors and organizations; ongoing, iterative learning; and transformational leadership. The proposed tools and strategies in this paper can be applied, in varying degrees, to every organization within health systems, from families and communities to national ministries of health. While our categorization is necessarily incomplete, this initial effort will provide a valuable contribution to the health systems strengthening debate, as the need for a more systemic, rigorous perspective in health has never been greater.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.