Course objectives/ Learning outcomes:

The course will promote creativity, entrepreneurship and the establishment of innovative patient centred solutions for an effective implementation of eHealth and mHealth interventions in integrated care. Approaches to involving patients and caregivers in the development, implementation and evaluation of integrated care programmes will be presented and discussed. Beside of the present utilization, future digital communication forms in an integrated healthcare system will be discussed (e.g. the electronic patient record, telemonitoring), the economic characteristics of the eHealth market as well as the legal framework, data-security, privacy, and integrity will be assessed. The students will become familiar with the current and future use of IT systems, with a special focus on the elements and structures required for health-related usage of mobile devices (mHealth) and the discourse regarding future challenges and potentials at the interface of technology, health and social care. Various examples from the industry and group-homework will strengthen the gained knowledge. Guided by the frameworks, students will be able to develop integrated care solutions using innovative technologies such as mHealth in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and start-ups.

Content:

The course comprises three emerging public health fields – integrated care, eHealth and chronic diseases. The first part of the course will provide insight into the rise of chronic diseases and the challenge it constitutes in health and social care organisation. The various definitions and concepts of integrated care and digital health will be introduced. A framework for integrated care for persons with chronic diseases will be introduced to understand key factors such as leadership & governance, financing and the role of information and communication technologies for implementing integrated care. The course focuses on explaining the need for more integrated systems of care delivery and the opportunity provided by ICT applications, as they can play an important role in making integrated care becoming a reality.

Exams

Mid-term exams (written + presentation, 40%)

End-of-semester exams (written, 60%)

Grading system

• Leijten FRM^*, Struckmann V*, van Ginneken E,Czypionka T, Kraus M, Reiss M, Tsiachristas A, Boland M, de Bont A, Bal R, Busse R, Rutten van Mölken M; SELFIE consortium. * shared first authorship. (2017). The SELFIE Framework for Integrated Care for Multi-Morbidity: development and description. Health Policy; DOI: 10.1016
• Struckmann V, Quentin W, Busse R, van Ginneken E. How to strengthen financing mechanisms to promote care for people with multimorbidity in Europe? Policy Brief 24. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2017.
• Struckmann V, Barbabella F, Dimova A, van Ginneken E (2017). Integrated Diabetes care delivered by patients- a case study from Bulgaria. International Journal of Integrated Care, 17(1): 6, pp. 1–6, DOI: doi.org/10.5334/ijic.2475
• Opoku, D., Stephani, V., & Quentin, W. (2017). A realist review of mobile phone-based health interventions for non-communicable disease management in sub-Saharan Africa. BMC medicine, 15(1), 24. doi: 10.1186/s12916-017-0782-z
• Stephani, V., Opoku, D., & Quentin, W. (2016). A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of mHealth interventions against non-communicable diseases in developing countries. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 572. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3226-3
• Opoku D, Scott P, Quentin W (2015): Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of a Teleconsultation Service in the Amansie-West District of Ghana. Telemed J E Health; 21(9):748-55. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2014.0210.