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IDN Health

The Interdisciplinary Network (IDN) Health is a platform linking in-house and external partners with the capacity to develop solutions for current and future challenges in the health sector together.

Health is a complex social cross-cutting theme. Health is a function of the interplay between personal circumstances, living environments, social participiation, technological advances, provision structures, and political and economic framework conditions.

The IDN Health considers itself a sounding and development space for inter- and transdisciplinary research that connects researchers and practice partners from the healthcare system, social services, public administration, politics, business and civil society. Together with these stakeholders, we develop ways of addressing current and future challenges in the healthcare sector that are scientifically sound, useful in professional practice, and socially relevant. 

Our activities revolve around four focal themes: Prevention, Health Promotion and Health Literacy; Digital Health and Health Technologies; Interprofessionalism and Managed Care; Health Policy and Health Economics. Two cross-cutting themes – Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), and Innovation, Implementation and Transformation – link the focal themes together.

Grafik zu Fokusthemen

Focal points and projects

Prevention, Health Promotion and Health Literacy

How do the places where people live, learn and work shape their health? What kinds of interventions can boost health awareness and self-directed action? Which conditions are conducive or detrimental to public health? And how can we better reach vulnerable populations?

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This focal theme explores the conditions that allow people to stay healthy, get healthier, or recover from illness. It centres on prevention, health promotion and health literacy. In addition to studying people’s health literacy, motivation, and decision-making skills, we take their living environments, residential settings, social circumstances, working conditions, education, mobility and digital access into account. Among other things, the focus is on mental and physical health, occupational health promotion, addiction and violence prevention, health communication and health equity.

An overview of projects relating to this focal theme can be found here (in German).

Digital Health and Health Technologies

Which health-promoting technologies are safe, accepted, responsible, and suitable for use in people’s day-to-day lives? How can we make digital and virtual healthcare more human-centric?

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This focal theme explores how digital and technological innovations can be used effectively in prevention, diagnostics, treatment and healthcare provision. It centres on issues including artificial intelligence, digital health applications, telemedicine, wearables, sensor technology, robotics and data driven decision support. However, the technical feasibility of applications is only one aspect: their effectiveness, safety, comprehensibility, acceptance and practicability in real-life are just as important.

An overview of projects relating to this focal theme can be found here (in German).

 

Interprofessionalism and Managed Care

How can we build a more coordinated, human, preventative, reliable and secure form of healthcare – especially where systems are under strain? How can new roles, forms of collaboration, networks, data flows and funding models be used to improve continuity, quality and efficacy?

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This focal theme is all about interprofessional collaboration and managed care models. It investigates the question of how different specialists and organisations should collaborate to ensure continuous and reliable healthcare provision for patients and clients. We consider managed care as an organising principle for complex care conditions. What matters are shared goals, clear responsibilities and roles, reliable communication and information channels, and coordinated care pathways. Among other things, the theme centres on care networks, new occupational and role profiles, cross-organisational interfaces, and governance and funding issues.

An overview of projects relating to this focal theme can be found here (in German).

Health Policy and Health Economics

How can we make and keep health systems productive, fair and affordable? How can we shift more focus to health and prevention in healthcare? How can we build strategically and politically manageable and impact-oriented health systems?

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This focal theme investigates the interplay of health policy, governance, funding, incentives and care systems. Key questions revolve around access, quality, patient safety, efficiency and sustainability. We analyse how policy and regulatory frameworks as well as funding and compensation models affect decision-making and how this impacts healthcare and healthcare systems.

An overview of projects relating to this focal theme can be found here (in German).

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)

PPI stands for the systematic involvement of patients, clients, family and the public in how we conduct research, provide healthcare and design healthcare systems.

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Participation can take place at various levels: in individual care, shaping organisations and programmes, and in research, health policy and within governing bodies. We consider it crucial to not only learn about experiences and perspectives after the fact, but to incorporate them into development and decision-making processes at an early stage.

An overview of projects relating to this focal theme can be found here (in German).

Innovation, Implementation and Transformation

How does knowledge derived from research and pilot projects make its way into our practice and day-to-day lives with lasting effect?

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This cross-cutting theme examines the conditions under which innovations can be developed, implemented, and sustainably embedded. For us, innovation is not just technological but also applies to new forms of care, processes, roles, cooperation models and health policy approaches. The focus is on organisational structures and cultures, leadership, skills, resources, incentive systems, regulatory frameworks and the perspectives of the actors involved.

An overview of projects relating to this focal theme can be found here (in German).

Current Projects

Here is an up-to-date overview of the funded projects.

IDN Gesundheit

Networks

The IDN Health is in the process of building a transdiciplinary platform linking professionals from healthcare institutions, the science community and healthcare practice (in German).

IDN Gesundheit

Core team and advisory board

The core team comprises representatives of each of the HSLU’s six Schools. Their task is to support the development of the IDN Health’s activities and to help them build internal and external networks (in German).