Quality of Life Challenges in XXI Century

Dear Colleagues,

The world is changing quickly. This speed is caused by urbanization, technological developments and the increasing demand for energy. Such changes have a direct impact on enterprises which function in the world of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), with numerous surprises occurring in the form of “black swans”, i.e., rare and unpredictable events. Norms constitute the consolidated knowledge about management oriented towards aspects of quality and help enterprises face future challenges. Healthcare companies can cope with changes using the PDCA cycle. By using the Quality Management System, entrepreneurs can promptly detect and react to new threats. They can also use the available tools to generate models of the future.  At present, customers are extremely demanding and focused on quality. They know exactly what they expect from any given product. The future of quality is a smart world driven by information and communications technologies (ICT). Artificial intelligence will develop considerably, enabling the mass-scale use of computers, and it will also be developed for the purpose of operating robots that will replace people in many work environments. Health is of highest value: it is an integral part of human development, it is the condition of satisfaction and happiness in life and it helps to fulfil other needs as well.

One of the coiners of the term “quality of life” was L.B. Johnson, the former president of the United States, who, when making a speech in 1964, said that the US development goals “cannot be assessed in financial categories, but should be analysed with respect to the quality of life”. Quality of life is a notion with multiple meanings: it includes medical, sociological, economic and psychological (most subjective) dimensions. It is the effect of a person's attitude to their own physical and mental well-being, material existence, interpersonal relationships, personal development opportunities and sense of subjectivity. According to the World Health Organization, a person's quality of life should be understood in the context of their perception of their life situation with respect to the cultural context and the system of values accepted by the society in which the person lives as well as with respect to their life goals, expectations and interests. The following attributes of quality are shared by all people:

• The freedom of movement;
• Social relationships;
• A financial situation which allows one to satisfy one’s basic needs;
• Independent living;
• Understanding of the world around oneself;
• Finding a satisfactory job;
• The acquisition of knowledge;
• Improving activities, etc.

Human activity (social, professional, private) relates to the satisfaction of needs, achievement of goals and fulfilment of dreams with hopes for a better life, a sense of happiness and satisfaction. Satisfaction with life and its conditions are individual and depend on many factors, including needs, aspirations and perceptions which are different for each person. A subjective sense of satisfaction with life also results from a system of values, a comprehensive quality of life, a relative sense of hurt as well as personal experiences or the awareness of fulfilling one's mission in one’s social, professional and private life. Quality of life is the level of satisfaction as a result of consuming goods and services, leisure and the use of material and social conditions of the environment. Without a proper quality of life exemplified by the ethical and professional conduct of organization members, it is impossible to ensure high-quality services, especially in the field of healthcare. This has been noticed by Prof. Su Mi Dahlggaard-Park:

Quality management should be oriented towards improving the quality of life  (of customers, employers, owners, etc.), because by forgetting the quality of life you make all procedures, standards and systems useless.

Dr. Joanna Rosak-Szyrocka
Dr. Justyna Żywiołek
Dr. Usama Awan
Dr. Magdalena Wyszynska
Guest Editors

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• quality of life
• management
• quality
• industry 4.0
• VUCA world
• satisfaction
• patient
• healthcare