Pavani Anand
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Seymour Spence
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering / Engineering
Program: UROP
Session: Session 6 (3:40pm – 4:30pm)
Authors: Nina Amin, Holly Jarman
Abstract
In order for health systems to best serve their patients, they must be resilient. Health systems resilience is the ability of health systems to be able to prepare for and respond to shocks on the system. Although resiliency is a vital component of a successful health system, there is not much research available on how systems can improve their resilience, specifically in terms of governance. This project aims to assess the main factors of health resilience that are related to governance. This issue is being examined through a case study approach regarding resilience in pediatric hospitals in Massachusetts. During the Fall of 2022, pediatric hospitals in Massachusetts became incredibly overwhelmed and did not have enough bed capacity for all of the patients in need of care. The peak of beds needed in these hospitals was in November of 2022, when there was a large surge in RSV cases. This research project strives to understand what led to this lack of resiliency and how hospitals can improve to avoid issues like these in the future. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative evidence, the project has analyzed data and performed literature reviews to better comprehend what caused the surge.
