Innovative and digital approaches in health and welfare (DHV310)

Content

The course addresses researchers within the health and welfare sciences broadly and researchers who study, or plan to study innovative aspects of health and illness in a life course perspective.

The course explains innovation as new methods and ideas, programs, approaches, or technologies. The course will discuss long-term illness as a major challenge globally and nationally, and its impact on the patients, stakeholders and the health care system. It will address innovative and theoretical approaches to understanding different perspectives of health and illness. As part of this, students will gain knowledge of major models in life course epidemiology to understand the development and evolution of chronic diseases. The literature will encompass issues of innovations at the individual level to promote health and health behavior change, to increase patient capacity, coping, and health literacy, and at the system level to facilitate integrated and coordinated care, and new ways of delivering healthcare services. It will also cover issues on innovative public health solutions, ethics and data privacy and security. The course will address approaches to increasing the use of big data and advanced analytics to understand disease patterns and risk factors, which may allow for more precise and personalized approaches to public health interventions. Moreover, the course will discuss health policies and legislation relevant to guide research and practice.

This course covers the development of key theoretical views on innovations in health and illness in a life course perspective. The course aims to provide the students with an understanding of the development and use of innovation in healthcare services. It will raise students' awareness of the importance of research within this topic, and help students develop critical thinking about theoretical and methodological issues to develop a broad basis for their respective research studies.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The PhD candidate will:

• have advanced knowledge about relevant innovative and digital approaches at the individual and service level in a life course perspective
• have advanced knowledge about strategies for health promotion and integrated care from a life course perspective.
• possess knowledge of major models in life course epidemiology to understand the development of chronic diseases.
• have advanced knowledge of the application of innovative, theoretical and technological developments in health and welfare

Skills

By the end of the course, the PhD candidate will be able to:

• apply complex theories, and innovative and digital approaches to research
• identify and articulate implications of specific theories and innovative approaches in research on health and illness in a life course perspective
• identify advanced innovative research approaches within epidemiology

General competence

By the end of the course, the PhD candidate will be able to:

• identify relevant challenges for the individual, the health care services and society from an innovation perspective
• present and critically discuss the theoretical and methodological choices in developing and conducting research on innovative and digital approaches within health and illness in the writing of a scientific paper on the theme
• assess the need for innovative measures and technological tools in health services delivery to meet the challenges and needs of individuals in a life course perspective and when affected by long-term illness

Required prerequisite knowledge

Exam

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Course coordinator:

Method of work

Open for

Course assessment

Literature