Last May, the Data Collaborative on Health System Performance (DC-HSP) Consultative Group, consisting of researchers and health and policy experts, came together in São Paulo, Brazil, to identify the largest challenges in addressing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the country.
CVDs, which consist of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, such as ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertensive heart disease, and other related conditions, is the leading cause of death in Brazil and worldwide, resulting in excess premature deaths that could have been averted through adequate prevention, treatment, and control. The pervasive disparities in CVD outcomes in Brazil reflect the economic and racial inequalities in the country. Strategic innovation and investment in health systems will be required to provide high-value health services for CVD and improve CVD outcomes for all Brazilian citizens. High-value health services refer to health services that are delivered efficiently and effectively to ensure ‘value for money’ and equitably and responsively to ‘ensure value for many’.
Six major challenges were highlighted that hinder the provision of high-value health services for CVD include, among others:
- Pervasive CVD health disparities based on social and racial factors
- Inadequate health system financing
- Suboptimal resource management
- Inefficient coordination across the entire care pathway
- Fragmented data systems
- Weak collaboration with insufficient strategic partnerships
To address these challenges, participants identified 21 research questions, which were reviewed and consolidated by HSIL members into three major research themes and fourteen research topics that could be systematically pursued within DC-HSP. The three research themes were:
- Generating value in care delivery across the continuum of care
- Establishing a robust ecosystem for digital health innovation, and
- Building data systems to enable benchmarking and analytics at national and sub-national levels
The Consultative Group emphasised four principles that should inform research if it is to lead to system-level change and long-term global health partnerships: (I) research should be highly collaborative, (II) equity-focused, (III) interdisciplinary, and (IV) embrace the digital transformation that is influencing CVD and health systems in Brazil, and globally. Finally, participants emphasised that the research outputs should be used to inform policy engagement, more effective strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors, including academia and civil society, and build consensus and leadership around CVD health as Brazil assumes the Presidency of the Group of Twenty Nations from December 1st, 2023.