Since the beginning of my medical career, my academic work has been focused on health systems innovation.
As a palliative care physician and psychiatrist, I have introduced and led transformative initiatives within several healthcare systems in Germany, the UK and now in Canada that enhance quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and overall performance. My journey in this field began in Germany in 2009, when I founded a new palliative care inpatient unit in Wuppertal and implemented an interdisciplinary center for Palliative Medicine at Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf. These foundational initiatives continue to operate successfully, and they provided initial exposure to health systems innovation for projects on critical healthcare issues here in Canada.
Health systems innovation and leadership encompasses a broad array of strategies, frameworks, and actions designed to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and quality of health care. My activities have been guided by seven components of health systems innovation, including:
1. Service Delivery: Innovations in service delivery aim to improve patient care by enhancing accessibility, continuity, quality, and patient experience.
2. Technology and Digital Health: This includes the adoption of electronic health records, telehealth services, mobile health applications, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve patient care and management.
3. Healthier Workforce: This involves training and deploying a healthcare workforce that is equipped to meet current and future challenges and health needs such as encountered during the COVID19 pandemic.
4. Information and Evidence: Strengthening health information systems and the use of data analytics to inform policy and practice, improve service delivery, and monitor the health of populations.
5. Governance and Leadership: Establishing strong leadership and governance structures that can effectively guide health system innovation, ensure accountability, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
6. Community and Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging patients, families, and communities in the design, implementation, and evaluation of health innovations to ensure they meet the needs and preferences of those they serve.
7. Healthcare Culture: Promoting a culture within healthcare organizations that values innovation, adaptability, and learning. Health systems innovation is multidimensional and involves a complex interplay between these components. My academic work reflects a systemic approach that considers how changes in one area will affect others. My dedication to health systems innovation reflects a commitment to transforming healthcare practices to achieve safer, more inclusive, and efficient environments.