Challenges hindering the promotion of health security : a scoping review of literature exploring contemporary studies with a focus on COVID-19

Abstract

The emergence of infectious diseases can disrupt health security. COVID-19 has emerged as a major health security threat in recent years. Identifying and understanding the challenges that confront attempts to control the disease can give us tools to fight it and ultimately help improve the promotion of health security. The purpose of the current thesis was to carry out a scoping review of contemporary literature to identify challenges facing the promotion of health security with a focus on COVID-19.

Articles published in English over the period of June 2019 through June 2024 were retrieved from the electronic databases CINAHL, Science Direct and PubMed including MEDLINE (n=1795). Search items used were “COVID-19” AND “health security” AND (challenge OR challenges). Additional records were identified through other sources (n=19). Of the total of 1814 articles identified, duplicates were removed, and other additional criteria used to narrow down on the articles of interest. Eventually, 18 articles (n=18) with very strong relevance to the research question were included in those reviewed as sources of evidence. Data charting from the included sources was done. The challenges identified were coded and categorized. Themes for consideration were generated from the categories of challenges.

The study identified seven categories of COVID-19-related challenges that have the potential to hinder the promotion of health security. These categories were: Politics and governance; Funding, financing, economics, and resources; Accountability, corruption, misuse, and mistrust; Cooperation and collaborations; Communication and information-sharing; Preparedness for infection control, health systems and infrastructure; and Ethical dilemma, ethical questions, moral, cultural, and religious concerns. These categories of challenges were used to develop themes that focused on the need to implement certain activities, mainly in the areas of politics and governance, finance, accountability, cooperation, communication, and information- sharing, health systems and preparedness for infection control and ethics, to help address the challenges identified.

In conclusion, several COVID-19-related challenges have the potential to hinder the promotion of health security. These challenges include political and governance, financial, accountability, cooperation, communication and information-sharing, preparedness for infection control and ethical concerns which if appropriately addressed, can enhance the promotion of health security.