COVID-19 in Mexico: How the Systems Approach Can Improve Our Response

Abstract

AbstractUsing Mexico as a model nation, the authors explore the systems approach for addressing COVID-19. The elements in any system are highly interconnected as they continuously influence each other. Public health challenges do not exist in a vacuum but are influenced by several factors including the social, economic, and political context. To understand any one factor, mapping the surrounding elements and analyzing the relationship between them and other elements in the rest of the system is necessary. Key elements of the impact and the response to the pandemic are examined by applying the systems thinking approach within the Mexican context. A systems analysis of COVID-19 is conducted using a systems map to illustrate the complexity of the system and to understand how to leverage the power of systems thinking to execute intersectoral, innovative, and highly impactful interventions for an improved response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and pandemics in the future.