Social Medicine and Healthcare Management

Dear Colleagues, 

It is with great pleasure that we present this Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, dedicated to social medicine and healthcare management. 

Since John Ryle established the first Institute of Social Medicine at Oxford University in 1943, the awareness of social medicine’s role in providing individuals with opportunities to determine their health status has grown ever stronger, and the advantages of social medicine in driving changes to healthcare systems have become increasingly clear. In the historical context we are experiencing, in which the difference in the social determinants (economic, nutritional, occupational, educational and psychological) between different individuals and different communities are progressively accentuated, it is more crucial than ever to recognise their importance and, above all, translate the evidence into the best changes in healthcare management. 

With this Special Issue, we would like to collect meaningful contributions which investigate social, genetic and environmental factors that influence human diseases and disabilities and explore which models of healthcare management are most effective in protecting the health of individuals and communities. We strongly encourage the submission of papers from middle- and low-income countries to give visibility to experiences from emerging areas and to increase the diversity of the contributions as much as possible. 

Possible themes of articles include: the integration of social and medical approaches to diseases; healthcare among communities; training about disease prevention; healthcare management from the community standpoint; bridging the gap between community and healthcare system; limits on access to healthcare; social justice in medicine; the impact of local health decisions on local health conditions; social medicine infrastructures; the relationship of the person with her/his environment. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions, both qualitative and quantitative, regarding emerging issues in social medicine and healthcare management. 

Dr. Ilaria Tocco Tussardi
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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.

• disease burden
• disability burden
• disease impact
• economic conditions
• environmental influence
• genetic factors
• health response
• healthcare organization and management
• prevention of diseases
• social conditions