Social and Individual Approach in Health (6 cr)

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- Identify possibilities and limitations of digitality in individual health decisions
- Explain the relevance of regulation and other public policy tools in health promotion
- Assess individual behaviour and evaluate the prerequisites for behavioural change
- Argue the relevance of behavioural insights in developing digital solutions
- Design interventions that promote behavioural change
- Estimate the impact of behavioural change interventions at the levels of health and financial benefits

Materials

Essential reading:
* Benartzi, S., Beshears, J., Milkman, K. L., Sunstein, C. R., Thaler, R. H., Shankar, M., Tucker-Ray, W., Congdon, W. J., & Galing, S. (2017). Should Governments Invest More in Nudging? Psychological Science, 28(8), 1041–1055.
* Faries MD. Why We Don't "Just Do It": Understanding the Intention-Behavior Gap in Lifestyle Medicine. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2016 Jun 22;10(5):322-329. doi: 10.1177/1559827616638017. PMID: 30202289; PMCID: PMC6125069.
* Hankonen, N.E., & Hardeman W. 2020. Developing Behavior Change Interventions, in M.S. Hagger , L.D. Cameron , K. Hamilton , N. Hankonen & T. Lintunen (eds) The handbook of behavior change, Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology , Cambridge University Press, 300-317.
* Johnson, E. (2021). The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters.
* Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation science : IS, 6, 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42
* Patel, M. S., Milkman, K. L., Gandhi, L., Graci, H. N., Gromet, D., Ho, H., ... & Duckworth, A. L. (2023). A randomized trial of behavioral Nudges delivered through Text messages to increase influenza vaccination among patients with an upcoming primary care visit. American Journal of Health Promotion, 37(3), 324-332.

Complementary / optional:
* OECD (2019), Tools and Ethics for Applied Behavioural Insights: The BASIC Toolkit, OECD Publishing, Paris.
* Ralph L. Keeney. “Personal Decisions Are the Leading Cause of Death. OPERATIONS RESEARCH Vol. 56, No. 6, November–December 2008, pp. 1335–1347
* Thaler, R. & Sunstein, C. (2021). Nudge - The Final Edition.
* Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2022). Attitudes, habits, and behavior change. Annual review of psychology, 73, 327-352.

Teaching methods

This curricular unit discusses the role and limitations of digitality in individual health and its societal impacts. The course introduces basic rules and regulations relating to health services and preventative care in public health. Behavioral change principles and interventions are introduced as a means to improve health outcomes in a cost effective way. The course also considers how health care professionals can assist patients / inhabitants in forming habits that support positive health outcomes. The course introduces the relevance of impact assessment at the level of the patient / inhabitant and the health benefits that they gain through changing behavior. We will also discuss the financial impact and cost effectiveness of the interventions and technological solutions.

The study unit is organized virtually on Moodle platform which includes learning material and assignments/tests. There is one kick-off meeting, four synchronous online learning sessions, and four sparring sessions between student groups and a teacher.

International connections

This study unit is part of the Master of Managing Digital Transformation in the Health Sector (ManagiDiTH). The programme will be developed in a transnational and intersectoral project during 2023–2026 led by Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon. The study unit is instructed by teachers from Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, and Aristothelio Panepistimio Thessalonikis.

Student workload

Studying the course entails 162 hrs of work to the students, equivalent of 6 ECTS.

Content scheduling

Module 1: Social and individual approach to the digital transformation in the health sector
1.1 Role and limitations of digitality in individual health
1.2 Legislative requirements related to public health services
Module 2: Applying behavioral insights in health care and health promotion contexts
2.1 Development and evaluation of digital solutions and real life behavioral interventions
2.2 The cognitive biases and heuristics in understanding patients and service providers behaviour
Module 3: Behavioral change principles and interventions as means to improve health outcomes
3.1 Governmental interventions and policies in promoting public health
3.2 Health care professionals role in assisting patients in forming healthy habits
Module 4: Impact assessment of behavioral interventions
4.1 Evaluation of the behavioral change and the related health benefits
4.2 Financial impact and cost effectiveness of the interventions

Evaluation scale

Approved/Failed