By Jean Brittain Leslie, Daniel J. Smith, Sirish Shrestha, and Iltefat Jami
Center for Creative Leadership
Summary
This study examines the rapid adoption of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic through a systems-thinking framework. Using a literature review methodology, the researchers analyze how healthcare organizations adapted their delivery systems across four interconnected domains: information technology, regulatory frameworks, social dynamics, and economic structures. The findings reveal that successful telemedicine implementation required synchronized changes across multiple systems rather than isolated technological adoption. The pandemic temporarily suspended entrenched institutional resistance, enabling transformative experiences that may have been impossible under normal circumstances. However, the partial retreat from telemedicine innovations as crisis pressures receded demonstrates the challenge of sustaining system-wide transformation. The study contributes to both scholarly understanding of healthcare system adaptation during polycrisis and practical knowledge for healthcare leaders navigating complex organizational change. It concludes that while crisis can catalyze innovation by temporarily aligning stakeholder incentives, sustainable transformation requires intentionally designed collaboration systems that can function beyond emergency conditions.
Citation
Leslie, J. B., Smith, D. J., Shrestha, S., & Iltefat, J. (2025). From crisis to transformation: Leveraging telemedicine to drive healthcare system change in an age of polycrisis. Center for Creative Leadership. https://doi.org/10.35613/ccl.2025.2066
