Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation (Volume 2: Concepts and Methodology)

Questions about how to apply systems thinking to health care are answered, through answering such questions as: What are the microsystems and macrosystems in health care?

Abstract

While systems thinking enables new and productive approaches to improving patient safety, it brings with it its own conceptual challenges—challenges that, if not recognized and addressed, will both slow our progress and introduce new harm. These challenges require that we learn more about how to apply systems thinking to health care, through answering such questions as: What are the microsystems and macrosystems in health care? How can their performance be measured? How do they interact? What are their vulnerabilities—and strengths? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each component that comprises the system? How can those strengths and weaknesses compensate for each other within the larger system? How can the functions of each component be optimized so that the results of the system are maximized? How can we identify and monitor for unintended consequences? How can we intervene to prevent harm from unintended consequences? Many of these questions are the direct or indirect foci of the articles in this volume on “Concepts and Methodology.”