Diverse hands holding global health symbols.

Global Health Challenges: 4 Research Principles to Revolutionize Healthcare in Developing Nations

Lena Voss in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Tackling the complex web of healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries requires a new approach. Discover how these research principles are reshaping global health."

Healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face immense pressure to perform, remain resilient, and respond effectively to the needs of their populations. However, long-standing challenges persist, prompting researchers to recognize the dynamic and complex nature of these systems and the substantial influence of health policies.

Health policy and systems research (HPSR) emerges as a critical field, aiming to understand and improve how societies organize themselves to achieve collective health goals. It examines how various stakeholders interact within policy development and implementation processes to drive impactful results.

Traditional research approaches have shown weaknesses, including a narrow focus on technical aspects, limited analytical depth, and insufficient consideration of power dynamics. To address these shortcomings, this article presents a conceptualization of four fundamental research principles, illustrated by real-world examples from sub-Saharan Africa: policies for direct-care payment exemptions and results-based financing (RBF).

Principle 1: Complementarity of Analytical Perspectives

Diverse hands holding global health symbols.

At the heart of HPSR lies the recognition of the complex and dynamic nature of health systems. This principle moves away from simplistic, linear cause-and-effect models, instead embracing the reciprocal influences among system components and their operational contexts. HPSR views health systems as a multi-layered, interconnected structure, influencing various operational levels:

These levels are:

Macroscopic: Focuses on the national health system, including global forces such as international governance, economic crises, and international actors.
Meso: Centers on peripheral and organizational levels, encompassing organizational culture, governance structures, and management practices.
Microscopic: Concentrates on individuals within the system (e.g., healthcare providers, patients, managers) and their interactions.

These levels provide different analytical angles, their complementarity highlighting the various challenges within health systems and related policies. By examining a health system from multiple viewpoints, a more comprehensive understanding emerges, addressing the nuances of its operation and the impact of health policies at different levels.

The Future of Global Health Research

In conclusion, HPSR emphasizes complementary analytical perspectives, interdisciplinary approaches, the creation of cross-cutting knowledge, and solid theoretical foundations. Formalizing a research domain based on these principles legitimizes their use in analyzing health policies and systems.

Research demonstrates the relevance and feasibility of this scientific approach, acknowledging that not every angle or principle can be fully addressed in each study. However, researchers should strive for a holistic understanding of health policies and systems to provide more precise insights.

Encouraging the integration of these principles into global health education programs is essential. By equipping future epidemiologists, anthropologists, and health economists with the skills to collaborate, think critically, and understand the evolving health systems in LMICs, we can better address the challenges they face and foster sustainable improvements in global health.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.17269/cjph.107.5533, Alternate LINK

Title: Quatre Principes De Recherche Pour Comprendre Les Défis Des Systèmes De Santé Des Pays À Faible Et Moyen Revenu

Subject: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Journal: Canadian Journal of Public Health

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Emilie Robert, Valéry Ridde

Published: 2016-07-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is the significance of Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR)?

Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) is crucial because it seeks to understand and improve how societies organize themselves to achieve collective health goals. It examines the interactions between various stakeholders involved in policy development and implementation. The significance lies in its ability to drive impactful results by addressing the complexities of healthcare systems, which traditional approaches have often overlooked. HPSR is essential for improving health outcomes by considering the dynamic nature of health systems and the influence of health policies.

What are the four fundamental research principles, and why are they important?

The four fundamental research principles mentioned are crucial for reshaping global health, as they address the shortcomings of traditional research. The first principle is the Complementarity of Analytical Perspectives, which emphasizes the importance of examining health systems from multiple viewpoints: Macroscopic, Meso, and Microscopic. These different levels highlight various challenges and nuances of health systems. Policies for direct-care payment exemptions and results-based financing (RBF) are examples of these principles in practice, offering a comprehensive understanding of health systems and the impact of health policies.

What are the Macroscopic, Meso, and Microscopic levels, and what do they each focus on?

The Macroscopic level focuses on the national health system, including global forces such as international governance, economic crises, and international actors. The Meso level centers on peripheral and organizational levels, encompassing organizational culture, governance structures, and management practices. The Microscopic level concentrates on individuals within the system (e.g., healthcare providers, patients, managers) and their interactions. Each level provides a different analytical angle, and their complementarity helps to understand the complexities of healthcare systems.

Why is the Complementarity of Analytical Perspectives important in healthcare research?

The Complementarity of Analytical Perspectives is important because it moves beyond simplistic cause-and-effect models. It embraces the reciprocal influences among system components and their operational contexts. By examining a health system from multiple viewpoints (Macroscopic, Meso, and Microscopic), researchers can achieve a more comprehensive understanding. This approach helps to address the nuances of health system operation and the varied impacts of health policies. This is critical for understanding how policies like those for direct-care payment exemptions and results-based financing (RBF) affect different parts of the system.

How does Results-Based Financing (RBF) fit into the framework of these research principles?

Results-Based Financing (RBF) is a method mentioned for improving health outcomes within the framework of the research principles. This approach is aimed at the Meso level, potentially improving organizational structures and management practices to drive better healthcare results. RBF incentivizes the achievement of specific health outcomes by linking payments to the attainment of pre-defined targets. Complementary to policies for direct-care payment exemptions, RBF contributes to the overall goal of improving the functionality and effectiveness of healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries.