Systems in Action

Jennie Adams

Systems in Action is an educational podcast series that examines how healthcare systems function in real clinical practice — particularly at the moments when care is most complex, fragmented, and vulnerable to breakdown. Rather than focusing solely on clinical decision-making, the series highlights the processes, workflows, communication patterns, and human factors that shape how care is actually delivered. Each episode centers on a specific aspect of Health Systems Science, using real-world examples, clinician perspectives, and reflective dialogue to make often invisible system dynamics visible. Through conversation with frontline clinicians, educators, and systems thinkers, Systems in Action explores why things unfold the way they do in healthcare — and what can be learned from those moments. Designed to complement a broader suite of multimedia educational materials, the series supports learning across undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and faculty development. Episodes can be used as standalone micro–professional development for educators, pre-work for facilitated sessions, or a springboard for systems-based discussion and reflection. Ultimately, Systems in Action aims to foster a deeper, more nuanced understanding of healthcare as a complex system — one that can be studied, taught, and improved.

Episodes

  1. Systems in Action Series Episode 1: Why Care Transitions Break Down

    Feb 5

    Systems in Action Series Episode 1: Why Care Transitions Break Down

    In this first episode of the Systems in Action series, hosts Jennie Adams and Dr. Ami DeWaters explore one of the most critical — and fragile — moments in healthcare: care transitions. From the emergency department to the inpatient floor, and from one clinical team to another, transitions are high-stakes for patients and high-pressure for clinicians. Joined by guest Dr. Brian McGillen, hospitalist and Medical Director of Care Transitions at Penn State Health, the hosts discuss why care transitions so often break down in real clinical practice. Drawing on frontline experience, they examine common communication pitfalls, workflow pressures, and human factors that shape handoffs — even when everyone is working hard and acting in good faith. This conversation sets the stage for the Systems in Action: Care Transitions learning package, which pairs this podcast with a dramatized handoff video, facilitator guide, and learner materials designed to support systems-based learning across UME, GME, and faculty development. Intro song I'm being led away LDcc written by Kira Daly accessed through the Free Music Archive and licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License.

    44 min
  • 1 Episode

About

Systems in Action is an educational podcast series that examines how healthcare systems function in real clinical practice — particularly at the moments when care is most complex, fragmented, and vulnerable to breakdown. Rather than focusing solely on clinical decision-making, the series highlights the processes, workflows, communication patterns, and human factors that shape how care is actually delivered. Each episode centers on a specific aspect of Health Systems Science, using real-world examples, clinician perspectives, and reflective dialogue to make often invisible system dynamics visible. Through conversation with frontline clinicians, educators, and systems thinkers, Systems in Action explores why things unfold the way they do in healthcare — and what can be learned from those moments. Designed to complement a broader suite of multimedia educational materials, the series supports learning across undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and faculty development. Episodes can be used as standalone micro–professional development for educators, pre-work for facilitated sessions, or a springboard for systems-based discussion and reflection. Ultimately, Systems in Action aims to foster a deeper, more nuanced understanding of healthcare as a complex system — one that can be studied, taught, and improved.

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