Health Lab | Studying the challenges of the National Health System | Among

CASE STUDY

Case Studies

Health Lab | Studying the challenges of the National Health System

A series of 4 workshops based on systems thinking methodology for strengthening the dialogue for the National Health System in Greece.

What was this?

Health Lab was a series of 4 workshops aiming to study the challenges of the National Health System in Greece. We organized this initiative with the support of the "DESMOS for Youth" program of the Non-Profit Association DESMOS, in collaboration with the Global Shapers Athens Hub, as well as the valuable scientific support of the Research & Policy Institute diaNEOsis. Health Lab was based on the methodology of systemic impact.

The Health System is very complex and the Public Sector is essential for maintaining the citizens' high standards of living through the coverage of vital needs of medical care and mental health. The National Health System in Greece includes a multifaceted network of health organizations and professionals (doctors, researchers, administrators, nurses etc.), whom we invited to participate in the 4 workshops.

Through this series of workshops, we created a safe space for all stakeholders to discuss, study the main challenges faced by the National Health System in Greece and propose new and modern ideas.

50+ participants

18 cities

8 hours of systemic analysis

Methodology

The 4 workshops were built on the methodology of the systems thinking. The workshops' purpose was to familiarize the participants with the concept of deeply studying important issues and to encourage meaningful collaboration. Moreover, the participants understood the systemic approach to the ideas discussed empirically along with effective problem-solving methods.

More specifically, the topics of the 4 workshops were developed as follows:
1) The main challenges in the Greek Health System
2) The problem and the system behind each challenge
3) Understanding the basic dynamics of each challenge
4) Finding an advantage & Strategic action

The workshops were conducted through the Zoom platform, while practical digital tools such as, miro and mentimeter, were used to enhance interaction.

Impact

More than 50 people participated in the interactive workshops and took an active part in expressing their views and arguments. Public or private health sector administrators, doctors, nurses, academics and health entrepreneurs, as well as health students discussed the challenges of the National Health System and jointly studied solutions. The methodology of systems thinking (the study of changes that actually affect a system) was used during the discussions and the networking between members was strengthened.

At the same time, we applied the systematic mapping of the relationships and dynamics created between the actors of the system based on the mapping carried out by the research team of diaNEOsis. Systemic approach is a key prerequisite for understanding stakeholder correlations.

We truly believe that Health Lab will contribute to the interconnection of the needs and challenges linked to the Health system. It will also support the formulation of initiatives to overcoming any obstacles and to implementing proper solutions to address the challenges of the National Health System in Greece.