Research Health Services Research
Three research programmes are embedded in the department of Health Services Research (HSR):
- Innovations in Health Care for the Elderly (IZO)
- Redesigning Health Care (RHC)
- Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
Innovations in Health Care for the Elderly
Due to the aging of the population and developments in medical technology, the number of older persons with (chronic) health problems will increase substantially during the following decades. Nowadays, the proportion of people of 65 years of age and older is 12-18% in most Western societies. We expect that this will be nearly doubled in the next three to four decades, which inevitably has consequences for the health care system, in particular for (services and facilities in) home care, care in nursing homes and hospitals.
The mission of the research programme Innovations in Health Care for the Elderly is twofold.
Firstly, to develop and disseminate knowledge and expertise on psychosocial, clinical and environmental determinants (including the organisation of health care arrangements and technology) of health care problems, need of care, social participation, independency and quality of life among older persons.
And secondly, to develop and evaluate innovative health care programmes and interventions for older persons to slow down processes of disablement and to improve the socialisation of health care.
In addition, the implementation of research evidence in daily practice in home care, nursing homes and hospitals, and the place of these institutions in the chain of care, has our interest.
Our research programme includes observational research (related to the first part of the mission) as well as intervention research (related to the second part of the mission). The programme takes a multi-disciplinary approach. Therefore, different basic disciplines are involved, such as nursing science, gerontology, care of older people, sociology, psychology, health care technology, health promotion, epidemiology, and (nursing home) medicine.
Programme leaders: Prof.dr. G.I.J.M. (Ruud) Kempen and Prof.dr. J.P.H. (Jan) Hamers
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Redesigning Health Care
Against the background of an increasing demand for care, scarce resources, and a suboptimal quality of health care, the Redesigning Health Care (RHC) programme produced important information to support decision-making by stakeholders in health care.
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Health Technology Assessment
Due to rising health care costs, efficient budget allocation is increasingly gaining importance. In addition, new innovations and (integrated) care arrangements are continuously being introduced. However, not every development results in net health gains, savings, and financially accessible care.
In the programme Health Technology Assessment (HTA), HTA researchers and health economists are concerned with issues related to scarcity in the allocation of health and health care. More in general, these researchers study the functioning of the health care system in economic terms, the economic impact of health-affecting behaviours, and the consequences of new interventions using health economic evaluations. The researchers of program operate across all areas of the discipline. Health economists and HTA-researchers are particularly interested in methodological developments, as well as in supporting stakeholders and decision makers when improving health care.
Programme leader: Dr. S.M.A.A. (Silvia) Evers
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