Research is closely linked to the academization of health professions. In recent years, research associations funded by the federal government have made a significant contribution to the further development and strengthening of the respective discipline. This contributes to the further development and quality assurance of the entire health care system.
Through direct access to current research projects and results, students develop an understanding of different research subjects right from the start and can transfer current results into professional practice. The interprofessional design of selected theoretical courses, initially with students from the midwifery and nursing courses, enables a broader acquisition of knowledge and skills, participation from one another and mutual understanding of the profession is promoted.
The HGE actively participates in current scientific discourse through research projects. Application-related research topics that address practice-relevant questions will be the guiding principle.
In the context of health and healthcare research, the analysis of structures and processes of regional and supra-regional healthcare is of particular interest in order to develop innovative healthcare concepts. In this context, the focus of interprofessional professional qualification and competency research is also to identify the relevant qualification and training needs (care and educational institutions) in order to be able to develop and provide targeted training concepts on this basis. In addition, competency assessment, new teaching/learning methods and innovative ways of developing competencies (e.g. e-qualification) will be of research interest.
Interprofessional collaboration and its influence on the quality of care, patient safety and needs-based (preventive) care for people in need of care and their relatives and friends, as well as the effectiveness of the (needs-based) use of innovative technologies, represent further (potential) research topics. Finally, the digital transformation of the healthcare system and the associated use, evaluation and implementation of (evidence-based) digital innovations will be the focus of research in nursing and midwifery science.
Students will have direct access to current research projects and key areas as well as their results, particularly in the context of the science modules. They will be able to generate needs from healthcare practice in order to independently derive and pursue corresponding research questions.
From the very beginning, the HGE has strived for interactions between research, teaching and knowledge transfer and promoted sustainable synergy effects at the interface between research and teaching. Possible research interests and focal points were and are identified as part of the course conception, from which initial concepts can be generated and research opportunities opened up.
The following key aspects are given special consideration in HGE’s strategic concept:
Expanding perspectives
A research methodological guide for identifying, evaluating and implementing evidence-based innovations for the various scientific disciplines is intended to provide teachers and students with further assistance. In addition, however, the perspective on people who need care needs to be broadened. For example, far too little is known about how chronic illness, permanent impairments and disorders or the need for care manifest themselves for those affected. However, this knowledge is necessary so that the responsible profession can develop needs-based answers and initiate appropriate interventions. Students can be guided by their teachers along these lines during the course of their studies, for example to systematically approach client-oriented, needs-based nursing and midwifery research. The high practical component of the course creates the optimal conditions for this.
Interprofessionality
Interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning as well as interprofessional action in practice and interprofessional professional qualification and competence research will be another central focus of the HGE. Competence assessment, new teaching/learning methods and innovative ways of developing competence (e.g. e-qualification) will be the relevant research subjects. By identifying qualification needs in care and educational institutions at an early stage, a contribution will be made to securing skilled workers and a contribution to securing the entire health care system regionally and nationally. Even when developing the concepts for the degree programs, it is important to take a case-based and method-driven look at the interprofessional interaction of the health professions. These findings and objectives guide cross-degree modules and projects. In this way, the development of innovative solutions for existing educational problems is combined with the acquisition of scientific knowledge.
Digital Transformation
The digital transformation of the healthcare system represents a fundamental process of change and innovation that will initiate far-reaching changes in the roles, competencies and cooperation of all healthcare professions. With the Nursing Profession Reform Act (PflBRefG), the legislator also intends to enable nurses to integrate new technologies into their professional activities in university education. Nurses should increasingly be able to use technology in nursing care and to advise on the use of technology in line with needs. The rapid development of new technologies and their increasing use in professional work as well as in the education of healthcare professionals make systematic skills development necessary.
There is an urgent need for research both in the use of innovative technologies in practice – including ethical reflection on their use – and in the development of digital didactics, which requires a new understanding of the roles of teachers and learners.
Midwifery students also increasingly need digital skills. As part of the DVPMG 2021, midwifery services provided by video support are included in Section 134a Paragraph 1d SGB V. Due to the Corona pandemic, digital midwifery services were permitted for the first time from March 2020, which were defined in the Corona special agreements for out-of-hospital midwifery work.
The structural prerequisites for research in this field of activity, which is new for all health professions, are the institutes for digital education (IfdB) and for simulation, training & transfer (IfS) affiliated with the university. The range of possible research focuses is wide-ranging, and the existing competencies in the institutes will have to be used for possible developments.
Health and healthcare research for structurally weak regions
Another research focus that will find its way into teaching is health and healthcare research with a view to the specific requirements of structurally weak regions. The current coalition agreement provides the first important impulses for the concept of municipal healthcare. On the basis of the analysis of structures and processes in the regional healthcare system, ideas for innovative care concepts are to be developed and scientifically supported. The subject of research is interprofessional cooperation and its influence on the quality of care, patient safety and needs-based (preventive) care for those in need of care and their relatives and friends, as well as the effectiveness of the (needs-based) use of innovative digital (telemedical) technologies. There is also a care situation in the area of midwifery services that needs to be optimized. Within the framework of health services research, new innovative care models can be developed and scientifically supported.