Area Course: Design in Healthcare

The challenges in health and care services in Norway are complex, and often become apparent in the meeting points between patients or relatives and the health services' resource framework. Future health and care services will be heavily influenced by an increasing and aging population, higher incidence of chronic diseases and higher demands to health and care services (Meld.St. 7 (2019-2020) National health and hospital plan 2020-2023). In this complex picture of challenges, there are opportunities to create sustainable services that utilize competence, knowledge, technology and collaboration in coherent service processes for users. This requires a broad involvement both within and outside the health and care sector.

The aim of the course is for students to gain interdisciplinary competence in design and health, and utilize this competence in a project. The course will focus on finding new and innovative solutions across disciplines through teamwork.

Students will be introduced to the interplay between health, health promotion, technology, design and society.

Knowledge goals

• Basic knowledge of opportunities and challenges in the design of health services
• Design and health as an interdisciplinary area
• Relevant professional language, research and development
• Design methods
• Insight into ethical challenges

Skills

• Apply design in a health-related project
• Apply relevant theory in compulsory activities
• Develop an understanding of the interaction between humans and technology in health services
• Ability for interdisciplinary interaction
• Can reflect upon the choices made in an interdisciplinary project

General competence

• Work interdisciplinary in teams
• Critical and reflective attitude to the design of health services
• Organize and disseminate results of group work

• Lectures
• Group work [Problem-based group work]
• Compulsory assignments