Bibliometric Review of the Knowledge Base on Healthcare Management for Sustainability, 1994–2018

• Main Authors: Prattana Punnakitikashem, Philip Hallinger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-12-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: healthcare management; healthcare; organization; sustainability; corporate sustainability; science mapping; bibliometric review
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/205

In response to the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), health care organizations throughout the world have adopted management initiatives designed to increase their sustainability. This review of research used bibliometric methods to analyze a dataset comprised of 477 documents extracted from the Scopus database. The review sought to document research on sustainable healthcare management (SHM) that has accumulated over the past 25 years. Results indicated that the intellectual structure of this body of knowledge is comprised of three schools of thought: (1) sustainable change in health care services, (2) innovations in managing health care operations, and (3) prioritizing and allocating resources for sustainability. The review also highlighted the recent topical focus of research in this literature. Key topics were linked to organization and management of health care services, quality of patient care, and sustainability of health care delivery.