The Global Village of healthcare management: new challenges ahead

Abstract

The role of scientific journals focused on healthcare management is shifting from a pure source of academic complex knowledge to a balanced approach with the role of promoting evidence-based decision making, applied knowledge, regular processes of sharing effective practice and open thematic debates. The complex issues facing health systems are now inseparable from the impacts of the current financial and budget restraints. Yet, the current context of health systems and organizations demands that, amidst short-term decisions and the risk of the unwanted effects of unplanned budget cuts, the international healthcare management community shares and learns from the experiences of managers who, all over the World, tackle concrete common issues by exploring, testing and developing flexible solutions. With an open mind and without ideological boundaries we aim at engaging further in the international debate and publish articles and solutions from international pan-European researchers, managers and decision-makers involved in the private, public and non-for profit sectors at all levels of healthcare development. In this sense, the Future positioning of our Journal will take into consideration the new set of relations between knowledge and priorities for action in healthcare organizations with a global perspective. We need to assume and overcome some current invisible barriers and extend the boundaries of the reflections on healthcare management. Whilst keeping track of the European history of health systems development, now is the time to open ourselves further to all sectors of societies and indeed to the world by inviting further reflection from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe but also from the other side of the Atlantic (north and south) and from Asian agents of healthcare management. Solutions for common problems faced by healthcare managers will benefit from further international participation and our Journal aims at congregating this effort. In essence, we aim at promoting a sense of a Global Village on healthcare management in the positive sense and based in the concept of a learning society constituted by learning healthcare systems and organizations. This effort has already become visible in the recent issues of our Journal, including the current issue, with a growing diversity of sources and countries of origin of papers as well as a broader view of related themes of interest. The Global Village of healthcare management is here. And it is here to stay.