Abstract
Sustainability is momentous for the appropriate functioning of health care systems. In fact, health and sustainability are two strictly related values, which could not be separately sought. While studies discussing the contextualization of this issue with respect to the distinguishing attributes of health care systems are rapidly blooming, there is still little agreement about what is ultimately meant by sustainability in the health care arena. On the one hand, attention is primarily focused on the proper use of available financial resources; on the other hand, people engagement and empowerment are gradually arising as a crucial step to enhance the viability of the health care system. This paper tries to identify, from a conceptual point of view inspired by the European integrative movement, the different shades of sustainability in health care and proposes a recipe to strengthen the long-term viability of health care organizations. The balanced mix of financial, economic, political, and social sustainability is compelling to increase the ability of health care organizations to create meaningful value for the population served. However, the focus on a single dimension of sustainability is thought to engender several side effects, which compromise the capability of health care organizations to guarantee health gains at the individual and collective levels. From this standpoint, further conceptual and practical developments are envisioned, paving the way for a full-fledged understanding of sustainability in the health care environment.
Highlights
The ongoing scientific and technological progress throughout the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century significantly has enhanced the ability of health care systems to meet the growing health needs and expectations of the community [1]
The process of change is generally initiated at the policy level, in an attempt to avoid that the inertia rooted in the conventional processes and embodied in the practices of health care organizations may thwart the adaptation of existing strategies and structures to the transformation of the environmental context [56]
The following section proposes a recipe for long-term sustainability in the health care system: far from representing a one-size-fits-all approach, this proposal should be understood as a flexible framework, which should be carefully adapted to the contextual factors and the inner characteristics of different types of health care systems aiming at the achievement of long-term sustainability [106]
Summary
The ongoing scientific and technological progress throughout the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century significantly has enhanced the ability of health care systems to meet the growing health needs and expectations of the community [1]. Is presented as a multifaceted and evolving concept, which should be comprehensively appreciated in order to improve the ability of health care organizations to generate meaningful value for the community In light of this conceptualization, a recipe to enhance the long-term viability of the health care system is suggested, striving to account for the different shades that compose a sustainable health care system. It summarizes the main implications which could be drawn from this conceptual study, stressing the fundamental role of sustainability in crafting the health policies and strategies of the future
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