Digital Public Health
Department of Social Sciences
The Chair of Digital Public Health is concerned with the development, testing and application of digital information and communication technologies in health promotion, prevention and nursing and medical care - with a particular focus on user orientation and evidence-based practice.
Digital Public Health sees itself as science and practice with the aim of using digital technologies to extend healthy lifespans, prevent or alleviate illness and promote physical, mental and social well-being. The focus is on health equity, efficient use of resources and consideration of social environments. It expands the previous understanding of the fields of action of digital health technologies to include aspects of population health and the relationality of health action and the living environment. The digital transformation is integrated as a field of action in the sense of Health in All Policies, the consequences of technology are reflected socially, ethically and in terms of health policy and the corresponding framework conditions are actively shaped.
Research profile
Digital Public Health deals with the potential, prerequisites and consequences of digitalization for public health. The focus is on digital technologies and data-based infrastructures that are used in prevention, health promotion, nursing and medical care. Digital applications - such as mobile health applications, AI-supported systems or platform-based care models - are not considered in isolation, but are analysed in their social, organizational, legal and ethical contexts. Digital Public Health thus understands digitalization as a structural transformation process of the healthcare system, which must be evidence-based, fair and sustainable.
The Chair of Digital Public Health at the University of Siegen examines the development, evaluation and implementation of digital interventions and technologies along the entire innovation cycle - from theory-based conception to empirical testing and sustainable integration into care structures. A particular focus is on user orientation, participation and diversity. Digital innovations are consistently viewed from the perspective of different target groups, particularly with regard to vulnerability, health inequality and issues of digital health literacy.
A central research focus is on care and implementation research. Acceptance, adoption, adherence and long-term use of digital applications are examined here, as are organizational requirements and governance structures. Theoretical models of technology acceptance, concepts from implementation research and approaches from health literacy and inequality research are systematically integrated and further developed. The aim is to create a robust theoretical and empirical basis for an effective digital transformation of the healthcare system.
Legal and ethical issues - for example in the context of data protection, AI regulation, interoperability or attribution of responsibility in digitally supported decision-making processes - are an integral part of the research. Methodologically, the professorship works with quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods designs and develops evaluation approaches for complex digital interventions. The research is nationally and internationally networked, externally funded and closely linked to stakeholders from science, politics and healthcare practice.
The aim is to provide evidence-based decision-making principles for policy and practice and to shape the digital transformation in the healthcare system in a scientifically sound, participatory and responsible manner.
Main research areas
- Effects of the use of information and communication technologies in health promotion, prevention, medical, nursing and rehabilitative care
- Adoption and acceptance research in the context of the appropriation and use of health-related (care) technologies in living environments
- User orientation in healthcare research with a focus on digitally supported care settings
- Implementation research in the field of innovative digital health technologies
- Participatory health services research
Latest publications
Fit für die digitale Reha-Nachsorge: Anforderungen an die Gestaltung von Schulungen aus multiperspektivischen World Cafés
Fit für die digitale Reha-Nachsorge: Anforderungen an die Gestaltung von Schulungen aus multiperspektivischen World Cafés
Adopting assistive technologies for the support and care of people with mild dementia living at home—Understanding the decision-making process: a qualitative study
Adopting assistive technologies for the support and care of people with mild dementia living at home—Understanding the decision-making process: a qualitative study
Modellierung Digitaler Teilhabe von Menschen mit einer geistigen Beeinträchtigung. Perspektiven auf die Eingliederungshilfe
Modellierung Digitaler Teilhabe von Menschen mit einer geistigen Beeinträchtigung. Perspektiven auf die Eingliederungshilfe
Implementation Factors of Digital Health Interventions in Depression Care—The Perspective of Health Professionals
Implementation Factors of Digital Health Interventions in Depression Care—The Perspective of Health Professionals
