LYDI21SY Master's Degree Programme in Digital Health

Curriculum responsibility: Riitta Turjamaa

Basis of Education

Degree programme in Digital Health leads to a Master's degree, the qualification title is Master of Business and Administration. The master programme fits for persons who work within the fields of social services, health care, engineering or business and administration. Connector between different fields is the both health and digitalisation.

Digital health is defined by European Union: Digital health and care refers to tools and services that use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and management of health and lifestyle. Digital health and care has the potential to innovate and improve access to care, quality of care, and to increase the overall efficiency of the health sector (read more: https://ec.europa.eu/health/ehealth/overview_en). Furthermore, in April 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) launched new recommendations on ten ways that countries can use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve people’s health and essential services.

Both national and European government strategies have expressed the need for professionals in social and health area with digital health education and training. Ageing populations, new therapeutic possibilities and rising expectations of citizens have made the provision of social and health care much more complex than in the past. Huge amount of available information, digital devices, assistive devices, service design, and e/m/r/uHealth solutions have the potential to anticipate health challenges and to improve lives in many ways. Simultaneously persons from various fields and working in the social and health care field need to acquire a range of new skills. Some are related to usability and service design, and some technical, such as how to get the most from new digitalised systems or advances in technology. Some are organizational, such as how to work in multi-disciplinary teams, and how to manage professionals from different fields.

Furthermore, the change also demands new attitudes, innovative working manner, finding ways in which the multi-professional persons can engage in effective partnerships in national and international context with both service users and the organizations that purchase social and health care on their behalf.

Innovation in digitalised health field has a great potential to create large impact on modern social and health care. The high bandwidth connectivity provided by the Internet enables new services to support citizens in their daily lives. The essential tenet of this programme is that both person’s health and wellbeing, and patient care outcomes can be improved and costs reduced through the effective use of digitalisation in the social and healthcare transformation process. The Master’s Programme is based on combination of modern working in health tech environments, encouragement of patient-centric solutions, leadership and information management, and privacy and data security issues.

Savonia’s competence themes: innovation and entrepreneurship competence, internationality, well-being at work and lifelong learning are included in the studies. The degree produces the comprehensive and in-depth digitalisation knowledge required in work life of the social and health care, and provides the theoretical knowledge needed for the demanding and leadership tasks of the relevant field. The Master´s degree gives the same eligibility for public office tenures as Master´s degrees completed in other universities and other higher education institutes of science. Master degree (in Finnish ylempi AMK) is in English Master of Health Care, Master of Social Services, Master of Engineering, Master of Business and Administration. (Polytechnics decree 352/2003). In accordance with the government proposal of 7/2009 (34 §) a student which has completed an appropriate Master´s degree can be admitted for postgraduate scientific or artistic studies. All studies are virtual. Savonia uses MOODLE learning environment, videoconferencing most commonly Zoom or Teams, emailing and mobile phoning.

Competence Standards

The Master's degree corresponds to level 7 on the EQF (European Qualifications Framework) of reference.

Competence means wide individual professional capability: know how, skills, attitude and potential to work. The content of studies and methods of studying are planned in order to provide students with general and core competences needed in the special but wide field of digitalised Health.

The master programme fits for persons who work in digitalisation related to (social and) health care.

Master in degree programme in Digital Health is both European and National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 7.

Structure of Studies

Master level studies are 90/60 ECTS credits (one ECTS = student work 27 hours). In accordance with the curriculum of a full-time student one year of study produces 60 ECTS credits which is equivalent to 1600 hours of student work. The study time for Master´s studies varies because of different educational and work backgrounds as well as because of the timetable of the individual studying. A Master´s degree program of 90 ECTS could be executed in 1.5 years; however it usually takes 2 - 3 years. Previously acquired competence and its accreditation can affect the length of the studies. The studies consist of advanced professional studies, joint studies, optional studies and thesis.

Below is the structure of the degree program.

Development of Expertise

Savonia curricula are composed of courses. They are not unconnected: rather they support the overall progress of the student and his/her development of expertise. At the same time it makes possible the connecting of teaching and research- development- and innovation work originating from work life. Today’s workers move from one job to another within the organisations and between organisations. This emphasises the many-sided competences and capabilities. Also the workers must react to changing environments e.g. the work of digitalised health expertise takes place from tertiary care to primary care, specialised care, private health care, enterprises, and in homes or assisted living places. The theory and the practical assignments are combined with the studies.

Curriculum of degree programme in digital health has been drawn up, so that
- the degree produces the degree of competence required in work life
- the education ensures the development of the student’s expertise
- the education enhances lifelong learning
The student
- draws up to support his/her studies an individual study plan in which earlier acquired competence is identified
- is responsible for the progression of his/her studies.

Savonia’s teachers and other personnel facilitate and support in the defining and achieving of individual goals. The student starts the planning of the thesis in during the first semester. The students begin already at the early stages of their studies the planning of their thesis. The thesis is supported with virtual courses in the methods of developing work life. For example a Master degree programme in digital health expertise: The themes for the first year are the Developing the Digital Health competence and Health Promotion competence. The competence objectives are that after the first year the student is able to evaluate and develop digital health, new tech-environments for the benefit of both patient/citizen and multidisciplinary personnel. He/she understands the importance of planning and strategic thinking as a resource for promoting and building personalised eHealth, and well-being promotion based on evidence, qualified information. The theme of the second year is Interdisciplinary Partnership competence. The competence objective is that the student is able to evaluate and make use of national and international networks. In addition, she/he creates multiprofessional partnerships in Digital Health and health tech environment. She/he is able to direct and develop partnerships and brings one’s expertise in interdisciplinary networks/groups.

Methods and implementation

Savonia is guided by the OIS way of thinking. The key is the constructing of information as a collaborative process. Learning isn't confined to one place, work experience is deepened according to the competency objectives with expert knowledge and practice-oriented teaching methods. The student is self-directed, reflective and critical as well as being responsible. The overall teaching methods is realised via virtual way. Students are in connection with teachers in a new way: teachers offer virtual teacher—help-desk service regularly.

All studies are in a virtual format. For those students who want to participate in the intensive contact learning period, for example the Research-based development course, the course starts as a summer course in June 2018. The exact dates will be published later in Autumn 2017.

The central competence networks of Savonia are an Applied Welfare Technology, Innovative Engineering and Energy Industries, Responsible Food Production and Water Safety. Master of Digital Health expertise degree program connects to the Applied Welfare Technology. The competence networks reshape the teaching of Savonia as well as the work of research-, development- and innovation (RDI-work) and strengthen the profile as well as the intellectual capital.

Savonia supports the student´s learning process. Student Service Center including Student Services e.g. Student Advisors, and Library and Information Services help in the student´s learning. The education s carried out in compliance with the principles of impartiality and sustainable development.

The student reflects on his/her own skills and competences, and selects courses according to personal development objectives. Savonia offers all Master students joint courses (each 5 ECTS) in total which respond to the general competence demands of work life. The courses to be selected are Digitalised Working Environment, Business in Digital Health, Research-based Development, Successful Organisation, Innovation knowledge, Expertise and Supervisory Work, Project Management, Strategic Thinking and Future Orientation, Service design (not virtual course), for instance. Joint study modules are also produced in co-operation with neighbouring University of Applied Sciences such as Karelia UAS.

Course Table

Opintojaksokuvaukset

4 TYDI031 Managing Digitalised Health Services, Procurement Contracts, Protocols, Certified Devices and Health Care Law