Industry 4.0 solutions have penetrated the healthcare sector, thus creating challenges that healthcare entities should meet. For this, a proper relationship between human resource management (HRM) within healthcare entities and Healthcare 4.0 is needed. In addition, organizations mainly focus on HRM practices, yet organizational issues are overlooked. In this context, the aim of the article was to analyze and evaluate the involvement and roles of key HRM actors, such as line managers and human resource (HR) specialists (HR departments) within strategic healthcare entities, namely hospitals. It was also important to identify the potential of hospitals to meet the requirements of Healthcare 4.0. A study was performed on a group of 285 Polish hospitals. Five respondents were recruited from each hospital. The total population amounted to 1425 interviewees. Due to the complexity of the research, it was outsourced. The results of the analysis identified that hospitals largely engage line managers in medical personnel management. However, a lack of managerial competence may become a major barrier in coping with challenges created by Healthcare 4.0. Organizational solutions do not support the strategic role of HR specialists; their anchoring in the organizational structures limits the possibility to support the changes required for the transformation towards Healthcare 4.0.

Public healthcare organizations usually operate under significant financial strain and frequently strive for survival. Thus, in most cases, financial stability is a “holy grail” of public healthcare organizations in general and hospitals in particular. The financial stability itself is partly dependent upon the ability to manage risk associated with hospital actions. In the paper, we seek to address the question related to the moderating role of stakeholders’ engagement in the relationship between risk management practices and a hospital’s financial stability. To answer this question, we designed and carried out empirical research on a sample of 103 out of 274 Polish public hospitals operating at the first-level (closest to the patient). Results show that risk management practices are positively related to financial stability. Hospitals with well-developed risk management practices are better prepared and find appropriate answers to threats, helping them attain financial stability. We also found that stakeholder engagement acts as a moderator of the relationship between risk management practices and financial stability. Research results indicate that with more sophisticated risk management practices, stakeholder engagement in decision-making leads to statistically lower financial stability. On the other hand, high levels of stakeholders’ engagement help when risk management practices are underdeveloped.

Polish public organisations are often perceived as having strong bureaucratic orientation, avoiding both change and risk. However, in the last decade a distinct change in the management model of public organisations can be noticed. Public sector becomes an open ground for mergers and partnerships, entrepreneurial leadership, diversified services and commercialization (Golensky and DeRuiter 1999; Zimmerman and Dart, 1998; Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2004; Walker, 2013]. Public organisations embrace these strategies from the for-profit sector in order to manage change and to be effective. Most importantly, public organisations are adopting these frameworks in order to survive the changing operating environment, including changes in the level of government funding. Our paper draws on the Miles and Snow (1978) typology of generic strategies - prospectors, defenders, analysers, and reactors - to identify different organisational strategies within public organisations providing social services in Poland. In order to assess organisational culture we used the most widespread and used in many empirical studies Cameron and Quinn’s model (2003), the Competing Values Framework (CVF), from which four cultures - adhocracy, clan, market and hierarchy - emerge. The choice of these two providers of social services was dictated by our conviction, that these organisations are critical both for the national economy and for mitigating, counteracting and preventing social exclusion.

The growing incidence and prevalence of civilization diseases is prompting national and transnational entities to seek instruments that would reverse epidemiological trends. Not without significance is the need to design such solutions that are going to provide an improved relation between the costs incurred to maintain health or recovery and the profit for citizens of continuing to function in good health. In its strategic documents, the European Union indicates the most important development goals in each financial perspective and the tools necessary to achieve them. In the Europe 2020 strategy, a cohesion policy was indicated as an important tool for the implementation of development goals, focusing on supporting activities leading to the equalisation of economic and social conditions in all regions of EU countries. The implementation of one of the three basic priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy, which is inclusive growth—supporting an economy with a high level of employment and ensuring social and territorial cohesion—assumes, among others, that in 2020, the population at risk of poverty and social exclusion will decrease by 20 million and that the employment rate in the EU will increase to 75%. Meeting the objectives will not be possible without a holistic coordinated approach to healthcare at the national and regional level in accordance with the principle of “health in all policies”. It also requires the involvement of various sources of financing, including structural funds. The EU’s prioritisation of the problems related to ensuring decent conditions for achieving health resulted in the mobilisation of structural funds for actions taken in the healthcare sector. Of particular importance are those actions which are taken to prevent, alleviate, and prevent oncological diseases. An additional contribution to undertaking actions aimed at preventing oncological diseases are the high and often neglected social costs incurred by societies. The goal of the article was to identify and evaluate actions taken in this area in Poland. It was achieved by analysing the literature on the subject and statistical data, and conducting induction based on the above-mentioned sources.

Purpose – Analysis of the reasons for cyber exclusion of the elderly and a statistical illustration of this phenomenon in Poland Research method – Literature review, analysis of current statistical data, synthesis. Results – The introduction of modern ICT-based solutions can significantly help older people to remain independent and maintain a high quality of life. This is facilitated by strategic initiatives funded by the European Union, encouraging public units to take action to increase digital competences in society. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – Highlighting the role of public governance units in creating an ecosystem of support for building access to ICTs and increasing digital competence.

Over the past decade, theoretical and empirical research on the various aspects of human resources (HR) within the healthcare (HC) sector has grown extensively due to its′ strategic importance in the sector. There is a visible tendency among researchers to pursue an effective human resource management (HRM) strategies, methods, and tools. Countries implement policies which should increase the amount and competences of employees within healthcare. Providers of HC services (i.e. hospitals) tend to enforce modern HRM solutions adapted from business organisations to attract, retain and develop HR. However, these seem not be as effective as they could (Hyde et al., 2013). Because of this, authors approached a researched reality from the point of view of a contextual paradigm, assuming that HRM solutions to be effective should match the reality of HC providers (Pocztowski, 2008). The aim of the research was to detect determinants which might influence the management of medical personnel in hospitals and identify the possible strength of these determinants so a more adjusted organisational and human resource management strategy could be elaborated. The list of possible determinants of hospital operations as the result of meta-analysis was elaborated. The list created the basis for interviews conducted among stakeholders and experts. Respondents were asked to appraise the factors with the usage of numerical scale considering their influence on medical personnel management in hospitals (physicians, nurses and others). In total, there were 28 interviews completed. The general conclusion which can be drawn from the analysis of these data is that hospitals should reorient their HRM practices in such the way that not only the quantitative but also the qualitative aspect of performance would be properly handled. This paper draws from HRM theory (contextual approach), stakeholder theory, and healthcare management theory, adding new insight to each in the context of the HC sector. Identification of most important factors which influence hospitals could allow the providers to elaborate HRM strategy adjusted to external circumstances.