New Insights into Understudied Phenomena in Healthcare: Second Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Healthcare is a field of knowledge that needs to be continually updated and revised due to the forces of change that are constantly redefining the very conception of health/disease processes and, as a result, care systems.

Today, an empowered individual/person/client not only seeks to treat health problems but also to achieve holistic wellbeing, which encompasses physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, and financial health. Furthermore, humanity is currently facing enormous challenges, such as the following, whose impact on the health status of individuals, groups, and communities remains unknown:

• The global climate crisis and its profound impact on the wellbeing of the most vulnerable communities, families, and individuals;
• The effects of unprecedented ageing population (The Aging Tsunami), which pose major health and service provision challenges;
• The development of long-term care systems that are sustainable, accessible, and respectful of the care recipient's dignity (WHO, 2022);
• Technological development, big data, and artificial intelligence, and how they can be applied to healthcare in an efficient and ethically responsible manner;
• Global threats, such as the recent pandemic, could reoccur and thus require responses at all levels (prevention, treatment, public health, resource management, etc.).

Health systems and policies, as well as research, must be geared towards addressing these new challenges while not exacerbating old ones such as the gender gap, ethical issues, inequality in accessing resources, etc. 

In this Special Issue, we welcome original studies, reviews, and reflections conducted using a variety of methodological approaches including, but not limited to, qualitative, quantitative, mixed, participatory research, etc. We suggest discussing or contributing insights regarding the challenges mentioned, such as new determinants of health and innovation in care, including innovative resources, the use of big data and artificial intelligence, access to knowledge, new forms of management and organization, or new drugs, products, or interventions that promote the holistic wellbeing of autonomous and empowered individuals and communities.

Dr. José Manuel Hernández Padilla
Dr. Cayetano Fernández-Sola
Guest Editors

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.

• health promotion
• aging
• emerging diseases
• new technologies
• innovative healthcare approaches
• innovative research methods
• social determinants of health
• patient rights
• demographic challenges
• understudied populations
• vulnerable populations
• gender issues

• New Insights into Understudied Phenomena in Healthcare in Healthcare (19 articles)