» Articles » PMID: 39609614

If Things Were Simple, Word Would Have Gotten Around. Can Complexity Science Help Us Improve Pediatric Research?

Overview
Journal Pediatr Res
Specialties Biology
Pediatrics
Date 2024 Nov 28
PMID 39609614
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Complexity science is a discipline which explores how complex systems behave and how we interact with them. Though it is widely implemented outside medicine, particularly in the sciences involving human behavior, but also in the natural sciences such as physics and biology, there are only a few applications within medical research. We propose that complexity science can provide new and helpful perspectives on complex pediatric medical problems. It can help us better understand complex systems and develop ways to cope with their inherent unpredictabilities. In this article, we provide a brief introduction of complexity science, explore why many medical problems can be considered 'complex', and discuss how we can apply this perspective to pediatric research. IMPACT: Current methods in pediatric research often focus on single mechanisms or interventions instead of systems, and tend to simplify complexity. This may not be appropriate. Complexity science provides a framework and a toolbox to better address complex problems. This review provides a starting point for the application of complexity science in pediatric research.

References
1.
Sigston E, Williams B . An Emergence Framework of Carcinogenesis. Front Oncol. 2017; 7:198. PMC: 5603758. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2017.00198. View

2.
Maayan A . Complex systems biology. J R Soc Interface. 2017; 14(134). PMC: 5636275. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0391. View

3.
Cohen A, Ferrucci L, Fulop T, Gravel D, Hao N, Kriete A . A complex systems approach to aging biology. Nat Aging. 2023; 2(7):580-591. DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00252-6. View

4.
Rutter H, Savona N, Glonti K, Bibby J, Cummins S, Finegood D . The need for a complex systems model of evidence for public health. Lancet. 2017; 390(10112):2602-2604. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31267-9. View

5.
Rod N, Broadbent A, Rod M, Russo F, Arah O, Stronks K . Complexity in Epidemiology and Public Health. Addressing Complex Health Problems Through a Mix of Epidemiologic Methods and Data. Epidemiology. 2023; 34(4):505-514. PMC: 10712344. DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001612. View