ABSTRACT
Introduction
The Learning Health System (LHS) concept is gaining traction in high-income countries, yet its implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains limited with few initiatives offering practical strategies tailored to these contexts. The Leading a Learning Health System (LLHS) Program, grounded in LHS principles, aimed to build leadership capacities among health professionals and leaders from five Asia-Pacific LMICs. This study explored participants’ learning experiences and applications in their context.
Methods
A mixed-method longitudinal study was conducted (13-months), informed by social constructivism and Kirkpatrick’s evaluation framework. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted after the intensive course (Survey A and Interview A) and 1 year later (Survey B and Interview B). Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data were analyzed through inductive content analysis.
Results
Thirteen participants (13/20, 65%) completed Survey A. All (100%) rated the program and cross-country network as “high value.” Eleven participants (11/20, 55%) completed Survey B. All participants reported applying program learnings regularly on most days (6/11, 55%) or most weeks (5/11, 45%). Nine participants (82%) reported influencing team culture and five (45%) reported influencing organizational change. Qualitative analysis of 20 Interview A and 10 Interview B identified four themes: (1) developing a systems leadership identity, (2) translating leadership intent into practice, (3) contextual challenges to applying learnings, (4) resilience via adaptive leadership capacity and programmatic support.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates how a longitudinal leadership program based on the LHS framework supported LMIC health professionals to develop systems leadership identity, foster learning culture, and cultivate adaptive, distributed leadership to build resilience in resource-limited settings. The variability of health information systems in LMICs should not be seen as a barrier to implementing LHS, as improvement can begin with the effective use of locally available data. These findings can inform future capacity-building initiatives to advance LHSs in LMICs.