📄 Category

health systems and quality improvement

98 papers

Improving health systems means finding smarter ways to deliver care, reduce errors, and ensure patients receive the best possible treatment. This field explores how hospitals and clinics can function more effectively, focusing on the practical changes that lead to better outcomes for everyone involved. It is less about discovering new drugs and more about refining the everyday processes that keep our healthcare networks running smoothly.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint in this category from medRxiv to bring you the latest research immediately. Our team processes these papers to provide both detailed technical summaries for experts and clear, plain-language explanations for anyone interested in how healthcare can improve. We believe that understanding these systemic changes is vital for building a more resilient future.

Below are the latest studies and insights from the health systems and quality improvement community, sorted by their recent submission dates.

📄 health systems and quality improvement

Why Patients Choose Spiritual Healers, Alternative Medicine, and Unqualified Practitioners Before Formal Medical Care: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study in Peri-Urban and Rural Faisalabad, Pakistan

This mixed-methods study in rural and peri-urban Faisalabad, Pakistan, reveals that nearly universal reliance on informal healers over formal medical care is driven by a complex interplay of economic constraints, structural barriers, cultural trust, and poor communication within the formal healthcare system.

Hamid, S., Muneez, M., Saleem, S.2026-04-24
📄 health systems and quality improvement

Association of social media-sourced blood donors with transfusion delay and donor-related irregularities: A multicentre study in Bangladesh

A multicentre study in Bangladesh reveals that relying on unregulated social media for blood donor recruitment significantly prolongs transfusion delays and increases donor-related irregularities compared to conventional pathways, highlighting the urgent need to integrate digital tools into regulated donor systems.

Hoque, A., Rahman, M., Basak, S. K., Mamun, A. A.2026-04-17
📄 health systems and quality improvement

Digital Health and Data Utilisation for Improved Primary Health Services Delivery: Multi-Site Perspectives from Quality Improvement Teams in Council Hospitals in Tanzania

This study of 12 council hospitals in Tanzania reveals that while fragmented and unreliable digital health systems currently limit their effectiveness, enhancing the compatibility, usability, and reliability of these tools significantly improves access to quality data and drives better primary health service delivery.

Matimo, C. R., Kacholi, G., Mollel, H. A.2026-04-17
📄 health systems and quality improvement

Breaking the seasonal barrier: feasibility of cuffless fingertip-based continuous blood pressure monitoring in older adults during winter exercise

This study validates the feasibility of a novel cuffless fingertip-based continuous blood pressure monitor for older adults during winter exercise, demonstrating that despite cold-induced vasoconstriction, the device maintains clinically acceptable accuracy while significantly enhancing user motivation for daily blood pressure management.

Mizutani, N., Nishizawa, S., Enomoto, Y., OKAMOTO, H., Baba, R., Misawa, A., Takahashi, K., Tada, Y., LIN, Y.-C., Shih (…)2026-04-16
📄 health systems and quality improvement

The Hospital Murals Evaluation: A mixed-methods evaluation of the impact of murals on patients, healthcare workers, and visitors

This mixed-methods study across four countries demonstrates that hospital murals generally enhance well-being and foster positive experiences for patients and staff, though their effectiveness varies by cultural context and design quality, highlighting the need for culturally attuned artistic interventions in healthcare environments.

Sajnani, N., Foster, M. W., Oshodi, Y., Sodimu, K. A., Kolnik, M., Pokorn, M., Simpson, N., Shaw, T., Willmoth, S., Mari (…)2026-04-13
📄 health systems and quality improvement

No One Left Behind: Adaptive Tablet Modalities for Digitally Excluded Emergency Department Patients Design, Implementation, and Social Evidence for an Impairment-First Interface

This paper presents the design, implementation, and social evidence validation of the ED Adaptive Interface (v5), a lightweight, nurse-configurable tablet system employing "impairment-first" design principles to address digital exclusion and communication barriers for diverse emergency department patients at Nordsjaellands Hospital.

Chowdhury, A., Irtiza, A.2026-04-13
📄 health systems and quality improvement

AI Implementation in Safety Net Healthcare: Understanding Barriers and Strategies

This study identifies key barriers to AI adoption in safety net healthcare organizations—specifically regarding integration, evaluation, communication, training, funding, and governance—and highlights how centralized expertise, structured guidance, and peer learning serve as effective strategies to overcome these challenges.

Thomas, C., Kim, J. Y., Hasan, A., Kpodzro, S., Cortes, J., Day, B., Jensen, S., LHuillier, S., Oden, M. O., Zumbado Seg (…)2026-04-11
📄 health systems and quality improvement

Laboratory capacity assessment in a resource-limited health system, Savannah Region, Ghana; a descriptive cross-sectional study

This descriptive cross-sectional study in Ghana's Savannah Region found that laboratory capacity is moderate overall but significantly stronger in hospitals than in lower-level facilities, with critical gaps identified in biosafety, equipment maintenance, and human and financial resources.

Saeed, F. U., Kubio, C., Kutame, R., Boateng, G.2026-04-11
📄 health systems and quality improvement

Infodemic Management Challenges and Training Needs Among Frontline Health Educators in Lagos State Nigeria

This study reveals that while frontline health educators in Lagos State, Nigeria, possess strong knowledge of health misinformation, they lack sufficient decision-making skills, confidence, and institutional support to effectively manage infodemics, highlighting an urgent need for practical training and systematic rumor monitoring mechanisms.

Erim, A., Lansana, P., Badmus, O., Olanrewaju, M. F.2026-04-11
📄 health systems and quality improvement

Intersectoral collaboration and community voice in a marginalized neighbourhood: A longitudinal social network analysis

This longitudinal social network analysis demonstrates that intersectoral collaboration in a low-SES neighborhood evolves over time to include diverse sectors and empowered citizen voices, though this dual role introduces complexity that requires flexible policies and sufficient time for networks to mature and deliver integrated care.

van Lammeren, R., Schalk, J., van der Pas, S., Bussemaker, J.2026-04-11