Leading Learning Health Systems in the Asia Pacific: A Mixed‐Method Evaluation of Health Professionals' Experiences in a Longitudinal Leadership Program
Lichin Lim, Carolyn Van Heerden, Amy GrayABSTRACT
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.