Healthcare in Digital Environments: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to participate in the latest Healthcare Special Issue entitled ‘Healthcare in Digital Environments: an Interdisciplinary Perspective’. Healthcare has already been transformed by digital technologies, and in the future, entirely new healthcare approaches will be established, the scope of which is not yet fully foreseeable. Digitalization is accompanied by great expectations; it is assumed that it will improve accessibility to and the quality of healthcare; it is also assumed that it will increase effectiveness. Digitalization leads to far-reaching process and structural changes that affect the foundations of established care services, understanding of the roles and work profiles of health professionals, communication and interaction between patients and providers, and patient role. The aim of the Special Issue is to explore these changes and to examine them consistently from an interdisciplinary perspective. Although there are numerous studies, they often have a monodisciplinary perspective, or they overlook the societal implications.

The intention here is to close this gap by bringing together contributions on the following main areas: The first focus is to addresses the question of how digitalization (telemedicine and eHealth) can contribute to health equity. Here, aspects of social inequality, as well as regional inequalities, e.g., rural areas and low-income countries, are the focus. The second key area addresses the questions regarding process and structural changes, e.g., what are the implications that digitalization has for interprofessional and/or intersectoral collaboration, how are professional roles changing, and in what way does digitalization contribute to new forms of interaction in the patient-provider relationship. The third focus will reveal the effectiveness of digital health applications—examined with rigorous study designs—and thus will shed light on their implementation, use, and added value in practice. Although studies often only address positive outcomes, we encourage the contributors to also report on adverse and unexpected outcomes. These contributions are also expected to reflect system-relevant parameters, on the one hand, and changes among health professionals and patients, on the other. Finally, as a fourth focus, research papers on future scenarios based on existing experiences and emerging technologies, e.g., machine learning and precision medicine and care, fully automated logistics, as well as virtual and augmented reality in rehabilitation, are welcome.

Researchers from different disciplines who are interested in interdisciplinary issues in the field of digitalization in healthcare are also invited. Contributions may use different methodological approaches (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods). A reflection on the societal, social, and ethical implications of digital health applications is desired.

Prof. Dr. Birgit Babitsch
Prof. Dr. Ursula Hertha Hübner, FIAHSI
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind 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.

• learning health systems
• unbiased data
• explainable artificial intelligence
• clinical decision support
• shared decision making
• patient–provider relationship
• interprofessional cooperation
• workflows and information
• continuity across settings
• patient reported outcomes
• quality of care
• rural and remote areas
• underserved populations
• digital divide
• socially deprived populations
• equal and ethical care
• evaluation