Title: Global Perspectives on Digital Health (GPDH)
Keywords: Technology
Health systems
Globalization
Country: Netherlands
Institution: The Netherlands - Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam
Course coordinator: Elaine Rabello
Date start: 2025-06-16
Date end: 2025-06-27
About duration and dates: 2 Weeks: 1 week distance-based and 1 week face to face.
Classification: advanced optional
Mode of delivery: Blended-learning
Course location: Blended (1st week distance-based – 2nd week face-to-face)
ECTS credit points: 3 ECTS credits
SIT: Week 1
- Pre-course preparation: 6h
- Plenary sessions (keynotes): 13.5h
- Parallel tutorials: 7h
- Labs and guided work: 8.5h
- Networking: 1h
- Open book exam: 2h
- Self-study: 4h
Total week 1 (including pre-course preparation): 41h

Week 2
- Pre-course preparation: 6h
- Plenary sessions (keynotes): 3.5h
- Parallel tutorials: 3h
- Labs and guided work: 21h
- Networking: 1 .5
- Work on final assignment: 6h
- Finalisation of the written proposal: 2h
Total week 2 (including pre-course preparation): 43h

Total: 84h
Language: English
Description: Week 1:
At the end of the first week, participants will be able to:
- Explain principles and concepts of digital health, including the effect of digital health on health behavior and on health systems
- Discuss digital health interventions as means to address health challenges in different settings.
- Discuss opportunities and limitations that digital health interventions bring while aiming to provide Universal Health Coverage in high, low and middle-income countries.
- Recognize and address ethics and data governance issues related to digital health.

Week 2:
At the end of the second week, participants will be able to:
- Develop strategic problem-solving strategies using digital health to address challenges in the health sector.
- Combine technical, analytical and networking skills for developing and embedding digital health interventions in a systemic approach.
- Develop and evaluate potential digital tools and strategies in different settings (acknowledging their characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and performance while implemented).
Assessment Procedures: Week one:
Open-book exam with a combination of multiple choice and essay-type questions. The mark from the open book exam weighs 50% of the final mark for the course.
-

Week two:
- Group assignment focusing on the development of a Digital Health Intervention (project). The examination is divided into 2 parts. First, the group delivers a presentation at the end of the second week (25% of the mark for week 2). The presentation is followed by a written outline of their digital health intervention project (75% of the mark for week 2). The mark from week 2 weighs 50% of the final mark of the course.

To successfully complete the course, participants need to get a passing mark (5.5/10) for both the examinations of week one and week two. Participants who fail one of the examinations during week two of the course are not required to re-sit as long as their mark for that week is equal or higher to 5.5/10.

Examinations week one: Participants who do not obtain the passing mark (5.5/10) on the open book exam will be allowed one opportunity to re-sit the exam. This opportunity will take place within two weeks after the results of the exam are published.

Examinations week two: Participants who do not obtain the passing mark (5.5/10) for week two will be allowed one opportunity to re-sit the part(s) of the examination that they failed. This opportunity will take place within two weeks after the results of the exam are published.
Content: ● Defining digital health, principles and classification
● Opportunities and limitations for digital health in LMICs
● Surveying demand and feasibility of digital health solutions
● Guidance on implementation of digital health interventions
● Bioethics, data governance and risk of inequality of Digital Health Interventions
● Introduction to mobile technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning and block chain (security and data transfer) applied to Digital Health Interventions
● Examples of digital health solutions for education, research, health management, service delivery, public health emergencies, marketing and dissemination, public engagement and vulnerable groups
Methods: Week 1
Keynotes focusing on key concepts of the course; Parallel tutorials are practical sessions aimed at introducing specific fields of DH or techniques; Labs and guided work are moments where students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned trying to solve a practical problem.

Week 2
Keynotes; Parallel tutorials; Labs and guided work during the second week there is a strong focus on application of the knowledge and skills acquired during week 1. Participants work in groups developing a digital health intervention aimed at addressing a real-life problem (preferably problems that participants face in their home countries). A presentation is given at the end of the second week with the outline of the project proposal. A written proposal is submitted for examination in the Friday afternoon, after considering feedbacks received on the presentation.
Prerequisites: ● Academic training at least to the level of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, in medicine, public health or another field related to health care, such as health sciences, environmental sciences, economics, biostatistics, social sciences or nursing
● Two years of relevant work experience, including work experience in low and middle-income settings.
● Proficiency in spoken and written English
● Computer literacy demonstrated by the ability to correctly and independently upload electronic documents in the online application system
● Motivation for the programme, demonstrated by a motivation letter stating the why the applicant wants to follow this specific course.
Attendance: Max 25 studens; max 5 tropEd students
Selection: first come, first serve
Fees: € 1.780 (2wk)
€ 780 (1wk)
Early bird fee € 1.240 (payment deadline=21.02.2025)
tropEd fee : € 1.480
Scholarships: None available
tropEd accreditation: Accredited Online GA June 2021
Email Address: l.gerstel@kit.nl
Date Of Record Creation: 2021-08-19 06:41:56 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release: 2021-08-19 11:47:33 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked: 2021-08-19 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified: 2024-11-12 10:45:11 (W3C-DTF)