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Systems thinking for health emergencies: use of process mapping during outbreak response
Kara N Durski1,2, Dhamari Naidoo3, Shalini Singaravelu3
1World Health Organization, Geneve, Switzerland durskik@who.int.
BMJ Global Health
|October 9, 2020
Summary
Process mapping, a systems thinking tool, significantly improved disease outbreak responses and health systems in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria. This methodology accelerates critical actions like case notification and laboratory testing.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Systems Science
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Disease outbreaks present complex challenges to health systems.
- Effective response requires understanding and optimizing intricate processes.
- Systems thinking approaches offer potential solutions for outbreak management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the application of process mapping during disease outbreaks.
- To analyze how process mapping strengthens response and health systems.
- To evaluate the impact of process mapping in diverse outbreak contexts.
Main Methods:
- Process mapping exercises were conducted in three distinct emerging disease outbreak settings.
- The study examined variations in transmission modes, outbreak size, and health system infrastructure.
- Data was collected to assess changes in system functioning and response times.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements in system functioning were observed across all three countries.
- Laboratory testing turnaround time was reduced from 6 days to 24 hours in Sierra Leone.
- Time to suspected case notification decreased from 7 to 3 days in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Data transmission to the national level was expedited from 5 days to 48 hours in Nigeria.
Conclusions:
- Process mapping is an effective methodology for addressing immediate outbreak priorities.
- Implementing process mapping can simultaneously strengthen health system components.
- This approach is valuable despite the inherent chaos and complexities of emerging pathogen outbreaks.
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