Sustainable Health Leadership: Balancing Economic Constraints with Quality of Life Improvements

Introduction: With a need to balance economic constraints and quality-of-life improvements, sustainable health leadership is vital. This involves leaders making strategic decisions to promote health and well-being within their organizations, while also being mindful of their organizations’ bottom lines. The principle of sustainability focuses on the long-term consequences of decisions for the economic, social, and environmental determinants of health. Methods: Sustainable Health Leadership response A scoping review was undertaken to investigate the role of sustainable health leadership in the tension between economic constraints and quality-of-life improvement. We reviewed diverse studies and frameworks around sustainable health leadership, to find overarching themes and actionable strategies to achieve this balance. Results: The literature review demonstrates that effective, sustainable health leadership demands holistic approach by taking into consideration the not only the financial but also the social and environmental impacts of decisions. Collaboration, stakeholder engagement and a longterm perspective are among the key factors seen as vital to the successful building of sustainable health leadership. Conclusions: For striking a balance between economic constraints and quality of life improvements, sustainable health leadership is a must. Avoiding siloed approaches: It is important for leaders to have a long-term focus beyond decisions that impact only a narrow aspect of health and involve stakeholders to promote collaboration. When leaders incorporate sustainability into their decision-making, they make a positive impact that is both economic and social — the effects can last for generations.