Improving the Health and Well-Being of Groups of Workers Experiencing Work Disparities

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting papers that will focus on groups of workers that experience work disparities. The aim of this paper is to publish research that leads to system transformations needed to improve health and wellbeing for groups of workers that experience work and health disparities, inequalities, and inequities. This Special Issue invites research and conceptual papers:

1. Informed by methodologies and theoretical perspectives that can shape shifts in thinking and knowledge mobilization needed to prevent work disparities and improve the opportunities for groups of workers to experience health and wellbeing in health work occupations (e.g., using perspectives on the occupational nature of humans, rights and justice perspectives or collective ways of knowing, inclusive organizational perspectives, etc.).
2. That demonstrate how work disparities (e.g., unequal distributions, lack of opportunities for or unequal/lack access to decent work, etc), impact the health and wellbeing of marginalized individuals and groups of health workers (e.g., persons experiencing disability, chronic illness, immigrants, indigenous people, persons from LGBTQSSIA+ communities).
3. That demonstrate approaches or programs that dismantle work disparities in the health care system and transform organizational healthcare policies and practices toward inclusion of groups of workers that experience health inequities and health challenges that impact on their sense of belonging and negatively impact mental health.
4. That examine the cumulative way in which issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, chronic illness, class, labour market shortages intersect with and lead to work disparities for groups of health care and rehabilitation workers in health care settings such as long-term care, acute care and rehabilitation.
5. That investigate the ways in which training and education of health and rehabilitation services workers can impact improved inclusive practices in health care, support acceptance of diverse workforces, support equitable participation in work for all groups of health care workers who experience work disparities.

Types of papers

1. Conceptual papers that provide strong theoretical support for using methodologies that can examine, disrupt and dismantle health inequities and work disparities and/or provide a generative force for macro and meso level health systems, policy, structural and service transformations that support worker health and wellbeing.
2. Systematic reviews that examine work disparities for specific marginalized groups of health care workers in various health care sectors reveal opportunities to promote improved practices in worker health and wellbeing.
3. Population based research and large database research that provide knowledge related to unequal distributions in employment and practices that offer insights for rethinking and developing health equity for workers related to specific services, access and delivery.
4. Research qualitative papers of lived experience of work disparities and the impact on worker health and wellbeing.
5. Case studies and/or program evaluation research of workplace or organizational approaches that demonstrate how rethinking and restructuring inclusive practices across the meso and macro systems are shifting knowledge and/or work equity practices to improve worker health and wellbeing.

Prof. Dr. Lynn Shaw
Guest Editor

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.

• occupational health outcomes, services and education
• work rehabilitation outcomes, services and education
• access to health services
• social determinants of health
• worker health and wellbeing
• health system policies
• decent work in healthcare
• equitable access to health care work
• health and wellbeing at work
• workplace organizational health
• occupational science