Advances in Holistic Care in Critical Care and Clinical Services: Innovation, Coordination, and Humanisation

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite researchers, healthcare professionals, and academics to submit their contributions for an upcoming Special Issue of Healthcare, focused on the latest developments in holistic care within critical care and clinical services. This issue aims to explore the integration of technical excellence, organisational innovation, and the humanisation of healthcare delivery, particularly within high complexity and high-pressure environments.

We are especially interested in contributions that examine approaches to providing more human, person centred care in challenging settings such as intensive care units, emergency departments, and high-dependency services. Submissions that highlight initiatives promoting dignity, compassionate communication, emotional support, and the active involvement of families in the care process are strongly encouraged.

We also welcome articles exploring the design and implementation of multidisciplinary care models, the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced monitoring systems, and telemedicine and strategies to improve patient safety, operational efficiency, and care coordination across different levels of the health system, while maintaining a human centred approach in critical care environments.

This Special Issue places a strong emphasis on applied research and real-world experiences that demonstrate measurable improvements in clinical outcomes and patient experience, as well as approaches that incorporate the perspectives of patients, families, and healthcare teams.

We welcome the submission of the following:

• Original research articles;
• Systematic reviews;
• Case studies;
• Innovative clinical protocols;
• Health policy analyses;
• Professional education and development initiatives.

We also encourage contributions on change management, clinical leadership with a humanistic approach, and evidence-based practices with potential for international replication.

By bringing together a wide range of insights and expertise, this Special Issue aims to serve as a platform for knowledge exchange that supports more effective, humane, equitable, and person-centred critical care, and fosters global dialogue and collaboration among researchers, healthcare providers, and system leaders.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Sergio Barrientos-Trigo
Guest Editor

Dr. José Miguel Pérez-Jiménez
Guest Editor Assistant

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.