Health-Technological Innovation and EU Competencies
Full course description
The module starts with an introduction focused on the challenges of sustainable innovation in the complex world of healthcare. This interdisciplinary module introduces students to the concept and process of health technological innovation and the role that EU institutions play in this process.
In the subsequent two weeks, the topics of safety, privacy, assessment and implementation related to health technological innovation are introduced.
The following three weeks cover specific innovations, namely innovations related to, for example: (1) pharmaceuticals, (2) medical devices, (3) big data. The EU legal competencies and EU policy initiatives related to each of these domains, are also incorporated in the module, as well as the key public and private sector players, and their roles and partnerships per domain.
The module also touches upon possible involvement of health consumers in the innovation process to co-create new health products, process and policy initiatives that cater to consumer preferences, and improve their experience and quality of life.
Parallel to this, students work on a project assignment focused on di/e-/m-health technology. Students learn how to pick up a new idea that responds to specific health needs, investigate it through theoretical public health and health care models, and apply it to a real-world setting taking into account legal, financial and social constraints.
Example topics include: ethical and societal challenges of health technological innovation, unintended consequences of health technological innovation, questionnaire design and data coding, sample vs sampling variability, case studies.Students explore additional topics as part of the Specialized Competency Lines (SCL).
The module ends with a refection week, which brings together various topics discussed throughout the module, followed by an exam week.
Course objectives
Expert
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Define and reflect on health technological innovation as a domain, identify main health technological innovation methods
- istinguish between public health and medical approaches to technological innovation in health care
- dentify the organs and major political, administrative, and legal structures and processes of the European Union (related to health technological innovation)
- Articulates diverse roles of public policy in health protection and promotion within the European Union (related to health technological innovation)
- Identifies key examples of public health policy and programs in Europe (related to health technological innovation)
- Defines roles of insurer, provider and patient (related to health technological innovation)
Investigator
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Explains basic forms of qualitative and quantitative research methods and data collection
- Summarize the empirical cycle
- Describe examples of interventions used in public health practice and policy
- dentify basic components and levels of interventions
- Define science, scientific thinking and scientific knowledge
- Explain and illustrate problems using academic approaches and critiques
- Assess scientific research and publications at a basic level under close supervision
- Recall fundamental principles of research ethics and integrity
- Describe the ways in which research forms the basis for public health activity
- Name sources of quality public health information
- Read selectively in terms of both quantity and quality of reading materials
- Relate problem-based learning techniques to personal learning goals and process
Communicator
By the end of the module, students should be able (on a basic level) to:
- Present on public health topics for peers and teachers
- Discuss topics and findings in English (aiming for level B2)
- Identify target audience, aim, and channels of a program of public health communication
- Demonstrate understanding of feedback from teachers and peers
- Produce limited feedback for peers under supervision
Professional
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- P1611. Accept feedback from staff and students passively
- P1613. Summarize what has been learned
- P1615. Behave in a respectful, professional and reliable manner in tutor groups, practicals and group work
- P1711. Contribute actively and positively within tutor groups and training groups
- P1811. Understand and describe the problem-based learning approach
- P1813. Positively engage the challenges and opportunities of intercultural diversity within tutorial groups