Q1.1 Core Knowledge Foundations of HSS: How would you define and explain the purpose of a health system?
A health system is a system that forms the basis of a national health care service aimed at guaranteeing good health for people in the country. This complex network encompasses a range of organizations, people, resources, activities aimed at addressing important objectives.
In the first place, health system attempts to provide basic healthcare services for all. The program endeavors to ensure that critical healthcare services can be accessed at an economical price by everybody irrespective of income, location or age. These include a broad scope of services ranging from preventative measures to treatment of diseases and also management of chronic problems or medical conditions. Another main objective of a health system is quality of care. It involves offering well-founded, secure, and competent medical services and therapies. Modern technology, infrastructure, and healthcare professionals working for better patient safety and improvements supporting high quality healthcare services. Health systems also take on public health and prevention beyond providing individual care. Such strategies include disease surveillance, health education, and smoke-free zones for fighting problems such as communicable diseases, obesity, and smoking. This applies in health systems which ensure efficiency in resource allocation. They include use of healthcare personnel, medical facilities and financial assistance towards maximizing health benefits for a population.
In addition, health system encourages research and innovation in broadening medical knowledge and technologies that aid in discovering of new treatment and technology as well as training of future health care providers. Health systems are also important aspects of disaster response and planning so that critical supplies can be deployed in emergencies or other public health problems. Finally, health systems are responsible for mitigating health disparities and social determinants of health. A fair and just healthcare system is achieved by efforts aimed at reducing inequalities and promoting health equity.
In conclusion, the health system comprises a complex framework that aims at ensuring good health and quality life for each person. The agency intends to attain its goal by offering available, top quality heathcare services, promoting health and prevention, effective resources administration, as well as supporting research and innovations, disaster response and addressing health disparities as well as the impacts of social determinants on health.
Q1.2 Complementary History of Medicine What is the Hippocratic Corpus and why is it important in the practice of medicine today?
The Hippocratic Corpus is a collection of ancient medical writings attributed to Hippocrates, a physician who lived on the island of Cos, near present-day Turkey, from about 460 BCE to 370 BCE. While the actual authorship of these works is a matter of debate, they are attributed to Hippocrates and his followers. The importance of the Hippocratic Corpus in the practice of medicine today lies in several key aspects.
First, the Hippocratic writings emphasize a holistic approach to medicine. They focus on treating the whole patient, considering not only their physical symptoms but also their social, economic, and familial circumstances, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This holistic approach aligns with the modern desire for patient-centered care and personalized medicine, recognizing that each patient is unique and their healthcare should be tailored to their individual needs.
Second, the Hippocratic writings promote a naturalistic understanding of disease. They reject supernatural explanations for illnesses and emphasize that diseases have natural causes. This emphasis on naturalism laid the foundation for modern scientific medicine, which seeks to understand the underlying biological and physiological mechanisms of diseases. It also supports the idea that the body has inherent healing mechanisms, which aligns with the concept of the body's ability to heal itself, a key principle in modern healthcare.
Third, the Hippocratic writings introduced the concept of balance and moderation in healthcare. They explained health as a result of a balance among the four humors (blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm) and advocated for therapies aimed at restoring this balance. While the concept of humors is outdated, the idea of balance in health and the consideration of potential risks and benefits in treatment decisions remain important principles in contemporary medical practice.
Q.1.3.Cross-cutting Teamwork: What tools or approaches have you applied in dealing with conflict in team settings?
In dealing with conflict in team settings, I have used several resolutions techniques. Team members do not like conflict, so learning how to control and handle it is essential in ensuring that one’s team remains productive and harmonious (Gupta, 2013). One of the methods that I have adopted is restructuring the team in case there is a need for so. If the structure itself is responsible for the conflicts, this may require identifying these problems and making necessary structural arrangements (Gupta, 2013). This can be done by changing a person’s work relations or roles in teams to reduce possible points of discontent.
Yet another way in which I have tried to handle this problem is to alter the combination of characters in the team or the role of the team. Studies have indicated that whenever people with identified differences face one another, such disputes normally become more severe (Maccoby & Scudder, 2011). Nevertheless, when they sit face to face, there is reduced conflict. Despite its simplicity, this small alteration in the sequential of the events can make a big difference regarding teams' behavior. For instance, for situations where decisions have to be made, I’ve adopted Majority Rule approach. Through this process, it is possible to accept various ideas if they have the majority votes. The democratic approach contributes towards collective decision making which results in less conflict.
In addition, I guide my workmates towards a problem-solving attitude when confronted with disagreements. Addressing this requires telling the staffers to concentrate on the subject, instead of personal conflicts. This way, we will be able to trace the source of the issue and come up with better resolutions together. I have also found it helpful in understanding my own conflict resolution style. To help in assessing and understanding the issue of my main conflict style, I have applied the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Style model (Schaubhut, 2007). It helps me change my strategy based on circumstances and personal inclinations of other participants. I have made use of conflict analysis methods, such as the Conflict Wheel and the Conflict Tree, for efficient intervention and negotiation towards settlement of disputes. The tools assist in identifying the conflicts causes which include the dynamics of conflict, players involved, triggering factors of the clash, organizational hierarchy contributing to conflicts, problematic issues among others. Besides, I have adopted a relational-interest based approach whereby I look for mutual respect, understanding, and co-operative conflict-resolution. It focuses on active listening without biasness and this plays a major role in comprehending another person’s point of view. However, I take a different approach when it comes to conflict resolution within a team setting based on these tools and techniques. It is through customizing these processes according to what kind of conflict and what team dynamics I have been able to solve conflicts and build favorable relations in a team.
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