Optimizing Healthcare Operations and Management for Improved Patient Care
A Special Issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2026) | Viewed by 2245
Editor
2. Center for Health Services Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Interests: health economics; health services operations management; strategic planning and development in healthcare/nursing; healthcare performance management; operations research in healthcare; program/project management (eu-funded); healthcare marketing/marketing research
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Healthcare systems worldwide face immense pressure to deliver high-quality, accessible, and equitable care amidst rising costs and complex challenges. Optimizing healthcare operations and management is no longer a secondary concern but a critical imperative directly impacting patient outcomes, safety, and experience. Research in this field, leveraging methodologies from operational research, data analytics, process engineering, and management science, is essential for building resilient and efficient healthcare systems.
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Optimizing Healthcare Operations and Management for Improved Patient Care”. This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research that bridges the gap between theoretical operations management and practical clinical applications. We seek studies that demonstrate how innovative operational strategies, process improvements, and data-driven decision-making can directly enhance the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care, aligning with the journal's focus on health systems and service delivery.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Healthcare operations management and Economics (e.g., process optimization, resource allocation, logistics, value-based healthcare frameworks)
- Health system performance management
- Application of AI and machine learning for operational improvement
- Process Improvement & Quality (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, patient flow, bottlenecks)
- Workforce management (e.g., staff planning, nursing workforce development, retention strategies, and role optimization)
- Leadership and culture (e.g., leading change, safety culture, organizational behavior, interprofessional education and its impact on care coordination and operational efficiency)
- Healthcare service design and delivery (e.g., rehabilitation, palliative care, community-based, and integrated care models)
We welcome high-quality scientific and policy contributions, both empirical and theoretical, from academics, researchers, and practitioners.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Maria Katharaki
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
- healthcare operations management
- health economics
- value-based healthcare
- quality improvement
- data-driven decision-making
- patient flow optimization
- operations research
- AI in healthcare
- leadership and organizational culture
- nursing workforce management
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
