Impacts of Population Ageing on the Functions of the Health System: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objectives Considering the rapid growth of the aged population and given that older people are the main consumers of health services, it is important to address the effects of population ageing on the health system function. Therefore, this study aims to review the evidence related to the impacts of population ageing on various functions of the health system, including stewardship, financing, resource development, and service provision. Methods & Materials This is a systematic review study. The data were collected through searching in PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest and Google Scholar for articles published from 2000 to 2022, using the related keywords. Quality assessment of selected articles was done using the STROBE checklist. To analyze the extracted data, the World Health Organization’s health system performance assessment framework was used. Results Of 1954 identified articles, 23 were finally selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the function of stewardship, the impacts were related to the managerial and policy aspects and the increased need to respond to the growing health needs of the elderly. In the function of financing, the impacts included the increase of financial burden on the health system and the need to provide financial resources. In the resource generation function, the impacts were categorized into human, information and physical resources. In the function of service provision, the impacts were on the demand for services, the complexity of service provision, and the method of service provision to elderly. Conclusion The impacts of population ageing on the functions of the health system, especially the financing function, are inevitable. The increase in the aged population is associated with the increase in health costs. Policy makers and managers of the health system should use practical strategies to strengthen the health system against the effects of population ageing.