Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39985012›Full record

ArticleGlobal health research and policy2025

Comparative content analysis of national health policies, strategies and plans before and after COVID-19 among OECD and BRICS countries.

Jialu Song, Ziqi Zhu, Qi Li, Ying Chen, Zhebin Wang, Shuduo Zhou, Ming Xu, Zhi-Jie Zheng

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Global health research and policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jialu Song *Peking University First Hospital, No.8 Xishiku Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 10034, China.
Ziqi Zhu *Peking University First Hospital, No.8 Xishiku Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 10034, China.
Qi LiInstitute of Social Development, Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, Beijing, China.
Ying ChenPeking University School of Public Health, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Zhebin WangPeking University School of Public Health, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Shuduo ZhouPeking University First Hospital, No.8 Xishiku Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 10034, China. zhoushuduo@pku.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5463-3116
Ming XuPeking University School of Public Health, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China. xum2022@pku.edu.cn.
Zhi-Jie ZhengPeking University School of Public Health, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.

Funding

Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation 9244026National Natural Science Foundation of China 72404011
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant limitations in health systems worldwide and emphasized the need for updated National Health Policies, Strategies, and Plans (NHPSPs). This study aimed to evaluate the NHPSPs of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it explored each country's commitment to strengthening health systems to address health threats and analyzed the specific changes made.

methodsNHPSP documents from the WHO document repository and official governmental websites were systematically searched. Data were extracted using a standardized template. A coding framework was inductively developed to sort qualitative texts into categories, with frequencies calculated and weighting evaluated, followed by organizing underlying content into subthemes.

resultsOut of 154 documents initially identified, 36 met the screening criteria, covering 14 OECD and 3 BRICS countries. The most predominant theme was prevention (88.9% pre-pandemic, 99.4% post-pandemic), which was addressed as a primary theme in 26 included NHPSPs. After the COVID-19 pandemic, 6 out of 14 analyzed themes saw higher occurrences, among which infection prevention and control (22.2-50.0%) and resilience to health crisis (22.2-44.4%) increased most significantly. Themes mainstreamed in post-pandemic NHPSPs included prevention (94.4%), health research and technology (61.1%), and One Health (66.7%). Primary healthcare emerged as the most concerned subtheme under prevention. Notably, OECD countries displayed more increased occurrences of themes (13 out of 14) or increased emphasis on themes with similar occurrences before and after COVID-19, while BRICS countries only differed in infection control. Additionally, OECD and BRICS countries varied in their subthemes and specific actions under similar primary themes.

conclusionsCOVID-19 exposed vulnerabilities in many countries' health systems, highlighting the need to build resilient health infrastructures through the optimization of NHPSPs. However, only about half of the OECD and BRICS countries have implemented new NHPSPs since the pandemic. Our findings highlight the critical need for global health system reforms and offer actionable recommendations for other countries in formulating their NHPSPs.

Indexed as

COVID-19Delivery of Health CareHealth PolicyOrganisation for Economic Co-Operation and DevelopmentBrazilChinaGlobal HealthHumansIndiaPandemicsRussiaSARS-CoV-2South AfricaCOVID-19National health policyPolicy content analysisStrategy or planSystem strengthening

Identifiers

PMID39985012
PMCPMC11843992

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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.