Health Delivery Systems

Abstract

A health delivery system (HDS) is like a machine that consists of a series of gears that – driven by general interest – contribute to the cohesion, social justice, and sustainable development of a community. Each one, with its own frame and its own history, needs to improve health, equity, responsiveness, and respect for human beings' dignity. The COVID‐19 pandemic that started in 2020 reinforced the importance of health delivery systems. A digital system can help to integrate the HDS with a standardization of information, computer‐assisted diagnosis, and treatment monitoring; and apps, blogs, and social media can help individuals to take control of their own health by self‐quantification and self‐narration. Health delivery systems are facing the challenge of supporting both short‐ and long‐term illness where the experience is not only biomedical but also social and cultural.