ReviewHealth research policy and systems2020
Defining and classifying public health systems: a critical interpretive synthesis.
Review in Health research policy and systems, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Is context considered in health inequity research and why? An examination of current trends in Ethiopia.Philosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine : PEHM · 2026Pooled it
- Strategies to support implementation of infectious disease decision support systems: a scoping review.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
- What counts as public health expenditures? A comparative case study of Australia, Canada, and England.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Quality Challenges in Municipal Telecare Call Center Services: Qualitative Evaluation Using the Anchored, Realistic, Cocreated, Human, Integrated, and Evaluated (ARCHIE) Framework.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Physical activity patterns and vaccination attitudes among thermal spa attendees: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Emergency response and clinical treatment analysis of a mass wasp sting incident involving 38 tourists: A case report.Medicine · 2026Article
- Digital paradigm of public health.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Assessing the vulnerability of urban public health system based on a hybrid model.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Governance for public health across health and allied sectors: a scoping review.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Generational Exploration on Aesthetic Medicine Products: Influence of Social Media, Reviews, and Brand Identity-GEMS Bond Survey.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2024Article
- What's love got to do with it? Exploring social love and public health.Perspectives in public health · 2024Article
- Trust-building in temporary public health partnerships: a qualitative study of the partnership formation process of a Covid-19 test, trace and protect service.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Empowering and including 'seldom heard' communities in systems thinking for weight management.Perspectives in public health · 2023Article
- Review
- How is suicide risk assessed in healthcare settings in the UK? A systematic scoping review.PloS one · 2023Article
- Preparing for future outbreaks in Ghana: An overview of current COVID-19, monkeypox, and Marburg disease outbreaks.Health promotion perspectives · 2023Review
- Challenges and opportunities for improvement in the management and financing system of Health Promotion Offices in Hungary.Frontiers in public health · 2023Review
- What influences cancer treatment service access in Ghana? A critical interpretive synthesis.BMJ open · 2022Review
- Study to Identify and Evaluate Predictor Factors for Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma in Tertiary Prophylactic Actions.Journal of personalized medicine · 2022Article
- "We cobble together a storyline of system performance using a diversity of things": a qualitative study of perspectives on public health performance measurement in Canada.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe introduction of the determinants of health has caused a shift towards understanding health from a holistic perspective as well as increased recognition of public health's contributions to the health of the population. Several frameworks exist to conceptualise healthcare systems, highlighting the stark contrast of frameworks unique to public health systems. The objectives of this study were to define public health systems and assess differences between healthcare systems and public health systems within established health systems frameworks.
methodsA critical interpretive synthesis was conducted. Databases searched included EBSCOhost, OVID, Scholars Portal, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Health Systems Evidence. Data extraction, coding and analysis followed a best-fit framework analysis method. Initial codes were based on a current leading health systems and policy classification scheme - health systems arrangements (governance, financial and delivery arrangements).
resultsA total of 5933 unique documents were identified and 67 were included in the analysis. Definitions of public health and public health systems varied significantly as did their roles and functions across jurisdictions. Public health systems arrangements generally followed those of health systems, with the addition of partnerships (community and inter-sectoral) and communication playing a larger role in public health. A public health systems framework and conceptualisation of how public health currently fits within health systems are presented.
conclusionsPublic health systems are unique and vital entities within health systems. In addition to examining how public health and public health systems have been defined within the literature, this review suggests that establishing the scope of public health is crucial to understanding its role within the larger health system and adds to the discourse around the relationship between public health, healthcare and population health. More broadly, this study addresses an important gap in understanding public health systems and provides conceptual and practical contributions as well as areas for future research.
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.