Instructional Design for Systems Thinking Education in Health Systems Science

Systems thinking, a linking domain of health systems science (HSS), is an approach that investigates specific problems from a holistic perspective. It supports improving patients’ health, fulfilling their health needs, and anticipating issues that threaten patient safety within the healthcare system. It also helps solve problems through critical thinking and reflection. This study aimed to develop an curriculum on systems thinking, explore the effectiveness of the course, and investigate the applicability of HSS education at individual universities. In this study, the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model was utilized to design, develop, implement, and evaluate an elective course on systems thinking. In the design process, learning outcomes and goals were developed, and educational content, teaching-learning methods, and student evaluation methods were linked. In the development process, class materials and evaluation materials were prepared. In the implementation process, the course was implemented, and the evaluation process analyzed the results of learning performance and curriculum assessments. The evaluation found the following results. First, the students in the study realized the importance of systems thinking and experienced the need for systems thinking through non-medical and medical situations. Second, the students were very satisfied with the learning activities in the course (mean=4.84), and the results of the self-competence evaluation, conducted before and after the course, also showed a significant improvement. This study confirmed the effectiveness of the elective course, and its results can serve as a reference for developing an HSS curriculum .