Health System Transformation in the Education of Health Professionals

Abstract

The need for health systems transformation is a health policy priority in Canada. Healthcare spending is growing at an unsustainable rate, and health systems ranks poorly in areas such as access to care, equity in care, and health outcomes. Policy makers are calling on health professionals to be accountable to health systems transformation, however, it is unknown whether their education prepares them for this call. This proposed study aims to understand the current state of the literature on health system transformation within the context of the education of health professionals through a two-phase explanatory mixed-methods study to address the following research questions: • What is the current state of health system transformation in the education of health professionals? • Based on the current state of the literature/evidence, what areas are important to consider for curriculum development and future programs of research on health system transformation in the education of health professionals? -- The study included two phases. In Phase I, a scoping review identified 44 peer reviewed articles on the topic. In Phase II, I conducted a mixed-methods stakeholder consultation that included a one-time online survey (n=77) and key informant interviews (n=23) to enhance and validate the findings of my literature as well as identify stakeholders' concerns on the topic. This research discusses the current state of health system transformation in the education of health professionals and describes key areas for future curriculum development and programs of research. Furthermore, this dissertation presents a comprehensive framework, grounded in the findings of an extensive mixed-methods stakeholder consultation, on the education of health professionals for health system transformation. Such knowledge will provide direction to stakeholders on the resources and activities needed to ensure that health professions education makes informed health systems transformation training decisions.