Editing question

[justcarol67]

I'm copyediting an article for a nursing journal and I've come across the term "systems issue." Can someone define that term for me in ordinary English? (I'm half-assuming that "issue" here means "problem," but a circular definition like "a problem with the systems" won't help me. Which "systems" and why is "systems" plural?)

The article is about falls by patients in nursing homes and the falls are referred to as "a systems issue," whatever that means.

Thanks,
Carol