Research goals & strategy
The Department of Health conducts research on social, health, organisational and psychological issues in the context of health promotion and integrated health care. On the one hand, the research strategy pursues the goal of generating research-led teaching content. On the other hand, the focus is on the further development of scientific expertise and the transfer of knowledge between theory and practice. Inter-professional research collaboration is a central element; in addition, the Department of Health conducts research according to the following principles:
The textbook "Health Promotion in PracticeTextbook "Health Promotion in Practicewhich was specially developed at the Department of Health, represents a far-reaching link between theory and practice. The book contains both a broad knowledge base on the topic of health promotion and insights into current research projects. Research results of the Department of Health are published in the form of publications, project reports and conference contributions, are incorporated into the teaching materials of the degree programmes and are made accessible to the business community.
Topics and organisation
The Department of Health focuses its research on four thematic priorities:
- Health promotion,
- Occupational Health Management,
- health and health care, and
- digital health care.
The central focus of the research activities is on health promotion in different settings with special consideration of a system-, organisation- and management-oriented approach, as well as on integrated health care. In cooperation with Forschung Burgenland, the Department of Health focuses on the research field "Health Promotion Research " within its research centre. The Research Centre is an inter- and transdisciplinary association of scientists who deal in their research with social, health organisation and psychological issues in the health sector.
The Department of Health methodically examines research questions that can be scientifically derived from the fields of health promotion and health care. The research team is dedicated, among other things, to the connections between health and society, digitalisation and health, health and social inequality, the effectiveness of health promotion measures, questions of health and the environment and the topic of health as a resource. In the research area of workplace health promotion in particular, the topics of employee protection and health and safety management are also considered.
An essential characteristic of research at the Department of Health is the multiprofessional cooperation between the various disciplines, including health management, health promotion, health and nursing care, physiotherapy, movement sciences, psychology and sociology.
Research-led teaching is an important component in the Department of Health, as teachers and students alike benefit from participating in research projects. Students of the Department of Health are given the opportunity to work on current research and development projects as part of their practice-oriented education. In the sense of research-led teaching, students should be encouraged to reinterpret and evaluate knowledge in the field of health and to develop new ways of thinking. In addition, it is important to draw attention to the adherence to scientific standards, the handling of risks and responsibilities in the respective fields as well as to justifying contexts to be shown in accordance with the chosen method.
