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Comment
. 2021 Jun 1;10(6):351-353.
doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.2020.194.

Can We Build an Evidence Base on the Impact of Systems Thinking for Wicked Problems? Comment on "What Can Policy-Makers Get Out of Systems Thinking? Policy Partners' Experiences of a Systems-Focused Research Collaboration in Preventive Health"

Diane T Finegood  1
Affiliations
Comment

Can We Build an Evidence Base on the Impact of Systems Thinking for Wicked Problems? Comment on "What Can Policy-Makers Get Out of Systems Thinking? Policy Partners' Experiences of a Systems-Focused Research Collaboration in Preventive Health"

Diane T Finegood. Int J Health Policy Manag. .

Abstract

The published literature on the application of systems thinking to influence policies and programs has grown in recent years. The original article by Haynes et al and the subsequent commentaries have focused on the upstream connection between capacity building for systems thinking and systems informed decision-making. This commentary explores the downstream connection between systems-informed decision-making and broader impacts on the health system, the health of the population and other economic and social benefits. Storytelling, systems-based syntheses and systems intervention principles are explored as approaches to strengthen the evidence base. For systems thinking to gain broader acceptance and application to complex health-related challenges, we need more of an evidence base demonstrating impact.

Keywords: Complex Adaptive Systems; Decision-Making; Evidence Base; Research Impact; Systems Thinking.

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References

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    1. Systems Thinking. The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre website. https://preventioncentre.org.au/resources/learn-about-systems/. Updated: 2015-2020. Accessed Septmber 28, 2020.
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    1. Boswell J, Baird J, Taheem R. The challenges of putting systems thinking into practice: Comment on “What can policy-makers get out of systems thinking? Policy partners’ experiences of a systems-focused research collaboration in preventive health. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020 doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.2020.92. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
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