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Healthcare
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Transforming Healthcare: Innovation, Economics, and Clinical Applications
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Transforming Healthcare: Innovation, Economics, and Clinical Applications

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 8 June 2027 | Viewed by 6240

Editor

Dr. Artur Turek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chair and Department of Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Jedności 8, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Interests: drug technology; pharmacology; medical devices; clinical trials; consumer behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will showcase interdisciplinary research that contributes to improving health outcomes, healthcare delivery, healthcare economics, and patient well-being. We welcome empirical and evidence-based studies that integrate innovative solutions and economic considerations to address challenges in clinical practice, public health, and healthcare systems.

We invite submissions exploring how innovations and economic strategies can support effective, ethical, and equitable healthcare. Manuscripts should particularly explore contemporary topics in health policy, highlight social issues, and propose practical, evidence-based solutions.

We welcome submissions on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Patient behavior and treatment access in the context of the pharmaceutical and medical markets, with a focus on health outcomes and clinical decision-making;
  • Protection of patient rights and ethical issues in healthcare delivery;
  • Medical imaging in neurosciences;
  • Clinical applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare;
  • Evaluation of healthcare interventions and patient-centered outcomes;
  • Pharmacoeconomics in support of clinical decision-making;
  • Safety and regulatory evaluation of medicinal products and devices;
  • Innovative approaches to managing chronic diseases;
  • Interdisciplinary models for long-term patient care;
  • Clinical trials and their contributions to treatment innovation;
  • Organizational strategies for enhancing efficiency in health services;
  • Emerging technologies and their integration into healthcare practice.

We hope this Special Issue will provide a platform for interdisciplinary insights and practical advancements in modern healthcare.

Dr. Artur Turek
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.

Keywords

  • health policy
  • healthcare market
  • neurosciences
  • artificial intelligence
  • pharmacoeconomics
  • clinical trials
  • patient/consumer behaviors

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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31 pages, 1166 KB  
Article
Survival in Men Treated for Lung Cancer: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study in Poland
by Magdalena Królikowska-Jerużalska, Magdalena Kurkiewicz, Aleksandra Moździerz, Anna Rzepecka-Stojko and Jerzy Stojko
Healthcare 2026, 14(7), 970; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14070970 - 7 Apr 2026
Viewed by 829
Abstract
Introduction: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in Poland. Prognosis is generally poor, largely due to late diagnosis at advanced stages and the aggressive biological nature of the disease. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of [...] Read more.
Introduction: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in Poland. Prognosis is generally poor, largely due to late diagnosis at advanced stages and the aggressive biological nature of the disease. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various treatment modalities and determine their impact on overall survival in male patients diagnosed with small-cell (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 1431 men (mean age: 61.5 years) treated at the Katowice Oncology Center in Poland between 2002 and 2012. Overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Evaluated prognostic factors included clinical stage, surgical intervention (partial or total lung resection), first-line treatment regimen, and the number of treatment cycles. Results: Survival probabilities declined progressively with advancing clinical stage for both SCLC and NSCLC. Patients who underwent surgical resection demonstrated significantly longer survival compared to non-surgically treated patients (p < 0.001). Furthermore, combined radiochemotherapy yielded superior therapeutic outcomes compared to chemotherapy alone. In the non-surgical NSCLC cohort, first-line treatment with platinum derivatives combined with gemcitabine resulted in the highest 1-year survival rate compared to other pharmacological schemes. Discussion: The high mortality observed within the first 12 months post diagnosis reflects the late-stage presentation common during the study period. The findings align with established oncological principles, confirming that surgical resection and multimodal therapies offer the greatest survival advantages for eligible patients. Conclusions: Survival rates for both SCLC and NSCLC are overwhelmingly dictated by early diagnosis and the feasibility of surgical resection. Improving long-term outcomes depends heavily on implementing effective lung cancer screening programs to detect the disease at operable stages and utilizing optimized combined treatment protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Healthcare: Innovation, Economics, and Clinical Applications)
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16 pages, 591 KB  
Article
Which Infectious Diseases Drive the Highest Absenteeism Costs—An Analysis Based on National Data Covering the Entire Polish Population in the Period of 2018–2023
by Michał Seweryn, Grzegorz Juszczyk and Marcin Czech
Healthcare 2025, 13(18), 2284; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13182284 - 12 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1918
Abstract
Background: Infectious diseases pose a serious epidemiological and economic challenge for all healthcare systems. However, there is a lack of comprehensive analyses assessing the cost of absenteeism attributable to all infectious diseases. Our objective was to evaluate the burden of absenteeism-related costs due [...] Read more.
Background: Infectious diseases pose a serious epidemiological and economic challenge for all healthcare systems. However, there is a lack of comprehensive analyses assessing the cost of absenteeism attributable to all infectious diseases. Our objective was to evaluate the burden of absenteeism-related costs due to infectious diseases in comparison with other major public health challenges. Methods: We applied the human capital approach to estimate the indirect costs of absenteeism caused by infectious diseases in Poland between 2018 and 2023. In particular, we assessed the relative contribution of different groups of infectious diseases to the overall economic burden. Data were obtained from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). Results: The total cost of absenteeism due to infectious diseases in Poland during the six-year period was EUR 5.3 billion. Over 78% of these costs were attributed to pneumonia and other acute lower respiratory tract infections (ICD-10: J12–J22): EUR 1.89 billion, COVID-19 (ICD-10: U07–U09): EUR 1.82 billion, and influenza (ICD-10: J09–J11): EUR 444.5 million. Infectious diseases imposed a greater economic burden in terms of absenteeism than each of the three conditions used as comparators: malignant neoplasms, depression, and ischemic heart disease. Conclusions: Our six-year analysis of sickness absence in Poland indicates that infectious diseases—particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic—are major drivers of productivity loss. When compared with other leading public health challenges, their economic burden is substantial. These findings underscore the importance of investing in preventive measures, particularly vaccination programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Healthcare: Innovation, Economics, and Clinical Applications)
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Review

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15 pages, 1488 KB  
Review
Research Trends in Chronic Pain Physiotherapy: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Tomasz Jurys and Mateusz Grajek
Healthcare 2026, 14(14), 2034; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14142034 - 8 Jul 2026
Viewed by 1046
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Chronic pain represents a major global health burden and significantly impacts quality of life and functional capacity. Physiotherapy plays a central role in its management, yet the rapid growth of research in this field makes it difficult to identify current trends [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Chronic pain represents a major global health burden and significantly impacts quality of life and functional capacity. Physiotherapy plays a central role in its management, yet the rapid growth of research in this field makes it difficult to identify current trends and emerging directions. The aim of this study was to analyze global research trends in chronic pain physiotherapy using a bibliometric approach. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. A predefined search strategy was applied to identify relevant publications. Data were analyzed and visualized using VOSviewer. Co-occurrence analysis of terms based on titles and abstracts was performed using full counting. The most relevant terms were selected using a relevance score threshold, and a thesaurus file was applied to improve data quality. Results: The number of publications increased steadily from 2015 to 2025, indicating growing research interest in chronic pain physiotherapy. Network analysis revealed key research clusters related to clinical interventions, functional assessment, and outcome evaluation. The most prominent and central terms included “pelvic pain”, “neck disability index”, and “radicular pain”. Overlay visualization identified emerging topics such as “stratified care”, “multidisciplinary rehabilitation”, and “psychometric property”, reflecting a shift toward personalized and patient-centered approaches. Conclusions: Research in chronic pain physiotherapy is rapidly expanding, with a clear transition from traditional intervention-focused approaches toward individualized, multidisciplinary, and outcome-driven strategies. These findings provide insight into current research directions and may support clinicians and researchers in identifying future priorities in chronic pain management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Healthcare: Innovation, Economics, and Clinical Applications)
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12 pages, 432 KB  
Review
Digital Isolation: The Impact of Social Media and Emerging Technologies on Mental Health
by Mateusz Grajek, Teresa Wagner-Tomaszewska and Tomasz Jurys
Healthcare 2026, 14(12), 1701; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14121701 - 15 Jun 2026
Viewed by 1228
Abstract
Digital isolation represents a contemporary paradox in which increased connectivity through social media and digital technologies does not necessarily translate into improved social integration or psychological well-being. This review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between digital environments and mental health, with a [...] Read more.
Digital isolation represents a contemporary paradox in which increased connectivity through social media and digital technologies does not necessarily translate into improved social integration or psychological well-being. This review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between digital environments and mental health, with a focus on mechanisms underlying loneliness, anxiety, depression, and related outcomes. The findings indicate that problematic and passive use of social media—particularly when associated with social comparison processes and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)—is consistently linked to increased levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and reduced well-being. At the same time, the evidence highlights substantial heterogeneity, suggesting that the impact of digital technologies is moderated by user characteristics, age, patterns of engagement, and psychosocial context. Importantly, digital technologies may also serve compensatory and protective functions by facilitating social support, especially in conditions of objective isolation. Key mediating mechanisms include cyberbullying, social exclusion, emotional contagion, and internalization of body image standards. The concept of “digital loneliness” emerges as a useful framework for understanding the discrepancy between constant connectivity and perceived relational insufficiency. Practical implications emphasize the need for targeted interventions focusing on digital literacy, healthy usage patterns, and psychosocial support rather than simplistic reduction in screen time. Overall, digital isolation should be conceptualized as a qualitative dysfunction of mediated social interaction rather than a purely quantitative effect of technology exposure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Healthcare: Innovation, Economics, and Clinical Applications)
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