Organizational Psychology and Health Care at the Start of a New Millennium

In recent years, profound changes have taken place in health care. Not only medical technology and job complexity have expanded, but also patient demands and expectations have increased. In addition, cost containment programmes and organizational changes have become a crucial part of the agenda as well.

There is increasing awareness that health care employees are facing different and even more stressors compared to other kinds of workers. Consequently, more attention has to be paid to occupational safety, health, and well-being in health care work. At the start of this new millennium, it is a challenge to transform the specific demands and conflicts in modern health care into new opportunities, and to survive organizational changes.

This book attempts to contribute to new solutions and implementations in the work of health care employees. Implications for future research and "lessons learned" will be offered. With international contributions on Organizational change, Job stress, Leadership, Professional burnout, and Improvement of quality of work, a wide range of relevant topics is addressed in the light of organizational psychology.

Organizational Psychology and Health Care at the Start of a New Millennium aims to inspire professionals in the field to come up with practical and yet scientifically based solutions for the problems health care is facing nowadays. Although the book is embedded in evidence arrived from health care workers in particular, the results seem to be relevant to other human service workers as well. Therefore, the book is invaluable to all people with an interest in the study of human service work in general, and health care work in particular.