Paying the Price for a Broken Healthcare System: Rethinking Employment, Labor, and Work in a Post-Pandemic World

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Change
• Health Policy

Background:

• Pre-pandemic institutional and technological shifts challenged healthcare delivery models.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted existing deficiencies in the healthcare system.
• There is a renewed focus on reforming healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a special issue examining the consequences of change in healthcare.
• To explore how change impacts various stakeholders within the healthcare sector.
• To analyze the processes of change within healthcare organizations and systems.

Main Methods:

• Introduction to a collection of five research papers.
• Synthesis of findings on organizational and systemic change in healthcare.
• Contextualization within the post-pandemic healthcare landscape.

Main Results:

• Change in healthcare is a complex process influenced by multiple factors.
• Stakeholders experience diverse consequences from institutional and technological shifts.
• Understanding change dynamics is crucial for healthcare system reform.

Conclusions:

• The special issue provides insights into the multifaceted nature of healthcare change.
• Addressing healthcare deficiencies requires a thorough understanding of change management.
• Future research should continue to explore effective strategies for healthcare transformation.