Exploring nationwide policy interventions to control COVID‐19 from the perspective of the rapid learning health system approach

Abstract

IntroductionThe health systems needed to improve their learning capacities during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Iran is one of the countries massively struck by the pandemic. This study aimed to explore whether and how the policy interventions made by Iran's policymakers at the national level to control COVID‐19, could improve the rapid learning characteristics of the health system.MethodsA guide to clarify rapid learning health system (RLHS) characteristics was developed. The guide was used by two independent authors to select the policy interventions that could improve RLHS characteristics, then, to analyze the content of the selected policy interventions. In each stage, results were compared and discussed by all three authors. Final results were presented based on different RLHS characteristics and the potential mechanisms of contribution.ResultsFive hundred policy interventions were developed during the first 7 months of the outbreak. Thirty‐one policy interventions could potentially improve RLHS characteristics (6.2%). Two characteristics, such as the timely production of research evidence and the appropriate decision support were addressed by selected policy interventions. Policies, that could improve learning capacities, focused on decision‐maker groups more than user groups or researcher groups.ConclusionsMost of the developed policy interventions during the first months of the epidemic did not address the learning capacities of the health system. To improve health system functions, improving RLHS characteristics of the health system, especially in patient‐centered and data linkage characteristics, is recommended.

A Learning Health-Care System for Improving Renal Health Services in Peru Using Data Analytics

“…French et al [37] propose an LHS for the creation of a precision rehabilitation data repository that facilitates access to systematically collected data from the EHR. In [38], they evaluate 500 political interventions to find out if they could improve the characteristics of the rapid learning health system (RLHS) in the Iranian health system during the first seven months of COVID-19, where they identify that the characteristics focused on patients and their data should be improved. Dammery et al [39] present a case study to determine which elements of an LHS are being implemented in a university medical centre, where they identify that LHS practices could be improved in two aspects: in the use of patient data and computing.…”