Resilience in health system research

Scoping review of health system resilience as a concept

Authors

• Kristiina Janhonen KT, dosentti
• Marjaana Viita-aho sh, TtM
• Moona Huhtakangas TtT
• Laura Kihlström PhD
• Ilmo Keskimäki LT, dosentti
• Liina-Kaisa Tynkkynen FT, dosentti

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.128097

Keywords:

health system resilience, scoping review, conceptual analysis

Abstract

This scoping review explores definitions and use of the term resilience in the field of health system research. We identify what current crises, such as the COVID-19-pandemic, have brought to the definitions of resilience. Our analyses specifically explore how health system(s) resilience (or resilient health system/s) is delineated as a phenomenon in international review articles (systematic or scoping reviews or literature reviews fulfilling the quality criteria of this article), and how results and conclusions of these publications are structured. Additionally, we pay attention to how the analyzed reviews approach health systems as social systems, in other words, how they take into account interaction and relationships between people as a part of action and organization of health systems. Based on the results we call for critical and analytical approaches to defining the interrelationships among sub-categories of health system resilience, as well as clearer definitions of the significance of social factors as a part of resilient health systems. Taking social aspects more clearly as a part of crucial dimensions of the term health system resilience, would allow making unexpected, situationally flexible, changing and power-related issues more visible in the context of developing also the Finnish health system.