Abstract

Background:

Social issues have always been a topic of discussion for human societies. But the fact that each sub-system of the bigger social system can result in social issues has usually been neglected. This study was done to introduce social determinants’ terminology and their examples in the health system.

Methods:

This study is a descriptive review based on data from 2000 until 2019. To find the needed articles, keywords (both in English and Farsi) were searched in databases, and after the elimination process 58 articles entered our research.

Findings:

Some studies have noted the impact of social issues on an individual’s health, but there still isn’t a comprehensive definition of “social issues of a health system” as a sub-system of the bigger social system. In the end, by relying on the social determinants of health’s definition, the research team chose topics such as: conflict of interest, lack of clarity, induced demand, corruption and ethical issues as social issues of health systems.

Results:

Health system, as a sub-social system, can cause social issues and great challenges on the path to achieve equity in health by adopting wrong policies or a wrong implementation of right policies. By identifying and managing social issues in sub-systems in the society, we can expect happiness, health, well-being and social capital to improve and advancements towards equity to become possible.

Language: Farsi/Persian