Exploring the potential of technological innovations in health care
Drawing on academic literature and real-world case studies, this module will critically examine both the transformative potential and the limits of technological innovations in health care (such as virtual consultations, networked electronic patient records, assisted living technologies, tele-monitoring and telehealth, smartphone apps, and wearables). You will be provided with the theoretical background and practical tools for participatory co-design of digital health solutions. You will also explore key challenges to the adoption, use and implementation of technology in personal and organisational settings. You will be introduced to quantitative and qualitative approaches to the evaluation of digital health interventions and learn to apply these to your own examples.
The last date for receipt of complete applications is 5pm Friday 3rd March 2023. Regrettably, late applications cannot be accepted.
Course Aims
On completion of this module, we expect our students to be able to:
- Describe and critically apply different theoretical perspectives to study technological innovation and digital health
- Systematically plan the design and development of digital health solutions from participatory and person-based perspectives
- Critically analyse challenges to the implementation and use of complex technology-supported health care innovations, including a consideration of the social, cultural, political and regulatory/policy context
- Explain and justify the use of quantitative and/or qualitative approaches to the evaluation of digital health interventions
- Discuss core and emerging topics in digital health
Research methods and techniques taught in this module:
- Technology co-design and participatory methods
- Infrastructure and ethnographic practice
- Evaluation of digital health interventions
Examples of case studies to be discussed in this module:
- Video consultations
- Assisted living technologies
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications
- Self-tracking and the ‘quantified self’ movement