EPH118 Healthcare Systems Sustainability and Resilience: Creating an Index

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for sustainable and resilient healthcare systems to protect population health. This requires measuring the relative progress of health systems towards becoming more sustainable and resilient. In this research, we design, construct and estimate a country-level healthcare system sustainability and resilience index (HSSRI) that reflects and combines the two dimensions. Method(s) The HSSRI aims to summarise the performance of a health system in the different domains contributing to its sustainability and resilience. These domains are i) health system governance, ii) health system financing, iii) health system workforce, iv) medicines and technologies, v) health service delivery, vi) population health and social determinants, and vii) environmental sustainability. As part of our analyses, we conduct a rapid evidence assessment to identify indicators reflecting the domains included in the sustainability and resilience dimensions. We assess the domain indicators' suitability by the quantity and quality of the literature supporting their inclusion. The variables in each indicator are extracted from publicly available data sources, such as the OECD, World Bank, and others. The period covered is from 2000 to 2020. Weighted means of the indicators are used to construct the domains' indices in each dimension. We apply a geometric mean to combine the domain indices into one final index. Result(s) The HSSRI is piloted using data from five high-income countries, providing a credible instrument for measuring and reporting healthcare system sustainability and resilience. The results enable policy-makers and stakeholders to observe how different domains of sustainability and resilience have evolved across countries and time. Conclusion(s) The HSSRI will facilitate better understanding and monitoring of the healthcare system's relative weaknesses and strengths, and empower policy-makers to design interventions that improve its resilience and sustainability.Copyright © 2022