Exploring the Burden on the Healthcare Service Sector Arising from Occupational Injury and Psychological Distress Caused by Poor Work Environments

Dear Colleagues,

The healthcare service sector plays a critical role in addressing the physical and mental health needs of individuals impacted by occupational injuries and psychological distress due to adverse work environments. However, the extent and nature of the burden that is placed on healthcare services due to these factors remain underexplored. This call for research papers seeks to acquire contributions that elucidate the challenges faced by healthcare providers and solutions developed in addressing the healthcare needs of individuals affected by occupational injury and psychological distress due to poor work conditions. The healthcare sector offers a unique setting in which workers are both the subjects of a work environment and the providers of healthcare services for injured workers. While this Special Issue includes examples involving the work environment in the health sector, we also seek papers beyond the health sector.

Scope:

We invite researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including but not limited to public health, occupational health and safety, psychology, sociology, and healthcare management, to submit original research papers that examine various aspects of the burden on the healthcare service sector associated with occupational injury and psychological distress caused by poor work environments. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

1. Epidemiological studies assessing the prevalence and incidence of occupational injuries and psychological distress among workers in different industries and occupations.
2. Analysis of healthcare utilization patterns and healthcare costs associated with treating individuals affected by occupational injuries and psychological distress.
3. Examination of the barriers and challenges faced by healthcare providers in delivering effective care to individuals impacted by poor work conditions.
4. Evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing the burden on healthcare services by addressing the root causes of occupational injury and psychological distress in the workplace.
5. Exploration of the role of healthcare policies, regulations, and organizational practices in mitigating the impact of bad work environments on healthcare services.
6. Investigation of the potential lack of parity in holding the employment sector accountable for healthcare costs associated with psychological distress compared with physical health conditions.
7. Recommendations on how the healthcare service sector might work more closely with employers and other sectors to improve the structure and process of work in addition to public health and treatment services offered by the health sector.

Prof. Dr. Kimberly J. Jinnett
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• occupational injury
• psychological distress
• occupational health and safety
• healthcare management