Telemedicine - Health

The “Health” field of study

Wound counselling

The “Health” field of study focuses on the implementation and use of telemedicine and e-health systems in complex health organisations. The point of departure for the programme is that the challenge of implementing and using technology is embedded in organisational issues. Some key questions asked will be: How to create sustainable systems and services, and how to spread them across dispersed health organisations.

The programme has an empirical foundation. The master’s thesis and several of the courses are to be based on interviews and observation of participants in real telemedicine projects. The students will have close collaboration with the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine (NST). Personnel from the Centre will present real telemedicine projects as part of the courses and the students will get individual contacts with employees at NST.

The last year of the programme comprises a master's thesis. Some examples on ongoing master’s thesis projects are:

• The “GiLab” project aims at improving collaboration between the hospital-based laboratories and general practice through information technology. The research project analyses how IT can contribute by paying particularly attention to a complex work practice in the laboratories.



• The establishment of e-health services in dermatology in North Norway. In this project we trace the roots of dermatology services from late 1980s, throughout its many transformations, until today’s services as part of regional medical centres.



• The medical card project aim at establishing shared medication lists between hospitals, general practitioners, homecare service and nursing homes. In this project we particularly pay attention to the collaborative aspects of such a system, and its consequences for its core users in the homecare services.



• The surgery planning system at the University hospital of North Norway. This project is supposed to coordinate the resources and contribute to planning across disciplinary boundaries.



• At the core of telemedicine, is distance education. A decentralised internet-based physiotherapist education is examined. A challenge here is to obtain a routine use of the experimental services.