There are important gaps in our knowledge about what makes health systems high-performing, resilient, and sustainable. CHeSS faculty continuously review of the state of the art in indicator measurement for health system performance assessment, develop tools to measure the performance of health system functions, and conduct research to examine the relationship between these functions and health system outcomes. This effort builds on ongoing collaborations with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the OECD and the World Health Organization.
Center for Health System Sustainability
Health System Performance Assessment
Across the globe, hundreds of health systems were designed differently to respond to similar challenges.
Health System Performance Assessment
Across the globe, hundreds of health systems were designed differently to respond to similar challenges.
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Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Policy Approaches to Health System Performance Assessment
The articles in this issue highlight the importance of regular health systems performance assessment to inform policies that advance progress on health system objectives globally, and offer insights on associated data, methods and applications.
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Sara Machado Ph.D. uses the HSPA framework to examine the health policy propositions being debated by parties in the 2024 Portuguese legislative elections.
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European Observatory
Health system performance assessment: A renewed global framework for policy-making
The key messages of this policy brief published by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies are as follows:
- Health systems performance assessment (HSPA) is about helping decision-makers to work through performance challenges in context, that is, in light of what drives their own health system and its outcomes, to make better informed choices about change.
- Health systems have porous boundaries but act on wider societal goals through a complex iteration of functions, intermediate objectives and goals.
- The global HSPA Framework is based on the consensus reached by a coalition of countries, key stakeholders and civil society coordinated by WHO (UHC2030). It reflects a rigorous review of existing tools by the UHC2030 Technical Working Group on Health System Assessments, which included Member States, global health organizations, key players like the European Commission, the OECD and the World Bank, donors and academia, and agreed a harmonized approach to assessment.
- The new elements of the framework are about learning from the pandemic and bringing to the fore those existing elements that proved particularly policy- relevant. These include the following.
- The health system plays a significant role in contributing to larger societal objectives and to well-being, for example by fostering cohesion and supporting economic development.
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- Health systems performance assessment (HSPA) is about helping decision-makers to work through performance challenges in context, that is, in light of what drives their own health system and its outcomes, to make better informed choices about change.
- Health systems have porous boundaries but act on wider societal goals through a complex iteration of functions, intermediate objectives and goals.
- The global HSPA Framework is based on the consensus reached by a coalition of countries, key stakeholders and civil society coordinated by WHO (UHC2030). It reflects a rigorous review of existing tools by the UHC2030 Technical Working Group on Health System Assessments, which included Member States, global health organizations, key players like the European Commission, the OECD and the World Bank, donors and academia, and agreed a harmonized approach to assessment.
- The new elements of the framework are about learning from the pandemic and bringing to the fore those existing elements that proved particularly policy- relevant. These include the following.
- The health system plays a significant role in contributing to larger societal objectives and to well-being, for example by fostering cohesion and supporting economic development.
COVID-19 has demonstrated the serious threat pandemics pose to both health and health systems. Pandemic preparedness plans are key strategic tools that enable policymakers to limit the severity of a disease outbreak but plans also need to build resilience into the health system to withstand pandemic shocks.
Health system performance assessment can be applied to pandemic preparedness planning to identify those strategies that improve health system resilience.
Which pandemic preparedness strategies strengthen health system resilience? Can health system strengthening and pandemic preparedness align? How can we use health system performance assessment to support pandemic preparedness? Join us to find out!
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Health system performance assessment can be applied to pandemic preparedness planning to identify those strategies that improve health system resilience.
Which pandemic preparedness strategies strengthen health system resilience? Can health system strengthening and pandemic preparedness align? How can we use health system performance assessment to support pandemic preparedness? Join us to find out!
WHO - European Observatory
Health system performance assessment A primer for policy-makers
This policy brief is one of a new series to meet the needs of policy-makers and health system managers. The aim is to develop key messages to support evidence-informed policy-making and the editors will continue to strengthen the series by working with authors to improve the consideration given to policy options and implementation.
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WHO - European Observatory
Health system performance assessment: a framework for policy analysis
Book edited by Irene Papanicolas, Dheepa Rajan, Marina Karanikolos, Agnes Soucat, Josep Figueras. Health Policy Series 57.
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