System Map of Indigenous Primary Health Care in Alberta
What is a system map?
A system is a collection of interrelated parts (such as individuals, groups, or organizations), which may also be referred to as nodes. An example of a system that you may be familiar with is the healthcare system.
A system map is a visualization of the relationships and dynamics between parts within a system.
What is the value of a system map?
A system map can show the flow/direction of certain things (such as information, people, money, a natural resource, etc.) as they move through the system. They allow us to view a system holistically and consider this perspective to identify new insights about how and why certain outcomes within a system are produced, or where there may be opportunities for intervention.
About This Map
This is a working system map of visualizing Indigenous access to Primary Health Care services in Alberta. The goal is that through focusing the system map on key stakeholders impacting Indigenous access to primary healthcare in our province, we can gain insight as to how these stakeholders directly engage with one another, and how the system functions as a whole.
The scope of this map is specific to organizations/groups that impact or significantly relate to Indigenous primary health care access in Alberta. In this map, we see organizations on a national level, however, it primarily focuses on organizations and groups based in Alberta, whether that be operating on a provincial or a more local basis.
This system map is not an exhaustive representation of the Indigenous Primary Health Care system in Alberta. The organizations and relationships it highlights are only a fraction of the complete system. Relationships between organizations have been simplified in order to make the map more readable.
To view a supplementary guide with further insights and System Map details for each node, click here.
A Discussion on System Mapping
In June 2021, Katharine McGowan, PhD, Associate Professor of Social Innovation at Mount Royal University, and Meagan McIntosh Informatoin Design Research Assistant with the Indigenous Primary Health Care Policy and Research Network, sat down for a discussion going over what system mapping is, the process of developing this system map, and insights gained during the process.
