Whole-system approaches linking workplace health promotion to the development of a sustainable working life have been advocated. The aim of this scoping review was to map out if and how whole-system approaches to workplace health promotion with a focus on management, leadership, and economic efficiency have been used in Nordic health promotion research. In addition, we wanted to investigate, in depth, if and how management and/or leadership approaches related to sustainable workplaces are addressed. Eighty-three articles were included in an analysis of the studies’ aims and content, research design, and country. For a further in-depth qualitative content analysis we excluded 63 articles in which management and/or leadership were only one of several factors studied. In the in-depth analysis of the 20 remaining studies, four main categories connected to sustainable workplaces emerged: studies including a whole system understanding; studies examining success factors for the implementation of workplace health promotion; studies using sustainability for framing the study; and studies highlighting health risks with an explicit economic focus. Aspects of sustainability were, in most articles, only included for framing the importance of the studies, and only few studies addressed aspects of sustainable workplaces from the perspective of a whole-system approach. Implications from this scoping review are that future Nordic workplace health promotion research needs to integrate health promotion and economic efficiency to a greater extent, in order to contribute to societal effectiveness and sustainability.

This article reports a study of a post-discharge programme for elderly patients in Norway. It took place in an intermediate ward for transitional care and was based on collaboration between a municipality and a hospital, which was part of a health enterprise. The aim of the study was to analyse the collaboration and its possible effects on the quality of patient care, and the economic efficiency of the project for the organizations involved. A mixed-methods approach, consisting of interviews, questionnaires and analyses of official documents and statistics. The collaboration was working well on the top level of the organizations, but was more problematic on the operative level. However, there were clear signs of improvement. The patients who received transitional care were more satisfied with their stay at the ward than their previous stay at the hospital. They were discharged to their homes more often and perceived to have a higher level of functioning than the hospital patients. Average costs per patient were also lower in the ward than in the hospital departments. The collaboration had mainly positive impacts on the quality of patient care and the economic efficiency of elderly care in the municipality. However, the board of the health enterprise decided to close down the intermediate ward.

For their health and well-being, nursing home residents increasingly depend on appropriate basic nursing care that requires certain clinical skills. In our study, we examined how the managers of nursing homes facilitate appropriate clinical learning environments to promote basic nursing skills. Following a qualitative design and with reference to complexity theory, we probed multiple sources of data in a reflexive thematic analysis. The results revealed the NH managers adopt a holistic approach balancing a complexity of interests: maintaining effective oversight, supporting staff in delivering high-quality care, and providing learners with valuable learning experiences and guidance. They recognised that integrating these complex interests was best achieved by empowering the caring staff and supported them in doing so. Clinical learning environments have inherent self-organizing capacities, where staff can autonomously manage their tasks and collaborate effectively. This self-organization is a powerful aspect that complements the managerial authority. Facilitating learners' insight into the power of the caring staff's self-organizing capacities is important for basic nursing competencies The managers' understanding of how the caring staff naturally organise their work represents a resource for both maintaining and enhancing the quality of both care and clinical learning. Thus, their contribution and involvement are vital for the success of any initiative aimed at enhancing the clinical learning environment.