A behavioural science framework for tackling upstream challenges in health systems

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Behavioral Science
• Health Systems Strengthening

Background:

• Behavioral science offers solutions for policy, infrastructure, and communication in global health.
• Current applications often focus on narrow issues with linear theories of change.
• There's an underutilized opportunity to apply behavioral science to complex health systems and 'upstream' actors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a framework for applying behavioral science to complex health systems.
• To guide the identification of addressable behaviors within health system challenges.
• To investigate contextual factors influencing these behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Developed a framework by experts in global health and behavioral science.
• The framework guides the distillation of health system challenges into specific, addressable behaviors.
• It facilitates the investigation of contextual factors impacting these behaviors.

Main Results:

• The framework enables a systematic approach to understanding behavior in health systems.
• It addresses the gap in considering human behavior at the macrolevel of health systems.
• Identifies specific actors and actions within health system challenges.

Conclusions:

• Applying behavioral science to upstream actors in complex health systems is a promising approach.
• The presented framework aids in tackling systemic issues by focusing on behavior.
• This approach enhances the field of health systems strengthening by incorporating macrolevel behavioral analysis.