eHealth: Combining Psychology, Technology, and Health

eHealth refers to the use of technologies to improve well-being, health, and healthcare. It is an umbrella term that captures concepts about the health context, technology, and people.

In this free online course, we will provide you with insight into the domain of eHealth, describe methods to develop eHealth, and explain theories that enable behaviour change and facilitate implementation. You will also understand how eHealth technologies are developed and used in practice, by means of a variety of case studies, assignments and examples.

All videos have subtitles available in Portuguese (Brazil) and Russian.

This course pays attention to the perspectives of the eHealth developers, patients, healthcare professionals and healthy people who want to improve or maintain their health and wellbeing. These perspectives are applied to the three main topics of this course:

• During Weeks 1 and 2, we will introduce eHealth and show you how eHealth technologies are used to enable or improve self-care and prevention, supportive care, and societal health.
• Weeks 3 and 4 will focus on design. You will learn how to design eHealth that fits the user and the context, and is able to seduce or support people into changing their behaviour.
• In Weeks 5 and 6, we focus on the diffusion and evaluation of eHealth technologies within the intended context, and among users and other relevant stakeholders.

After finishing this course, you will have new knowledge about eHealth, acquired relevant eHealth skills, and gained insight into the use of eHealth in practice.

This course is suitable for everyone who wants or needs to know more about eHealth and all of its possibilities. No specific knowledge or education background is assumed, since all concepts that are discussed will be briefly explained. For learners who desire more depth, further reading is available.

• What is eHealth?
• Welcome to the course!
• What is eHealth?
• What can eHealth look like?
• What are benefits and barriers of eHealth?
• What is a holistic approach?
• Wrapping up Week 1
• How can we combine technology and healthcare?
• Welcome to Week 2
• Self-care and prevention
• Supportive care
• Societal health
• Wrapping up Week 2
• How can we create appealing designs?
• Welcome to Week 3
• Why is the context important?
• Why and how do we prototype?
• How can we test usability?
• Wrapping up Week 3
• How can we change behaviour with technology?
• Welcome to Week 4
• How can we change behaviour?
• What is persuasive technology?
• How can we create persuasive technology?
• Wrapping up Week 4
• How can we help people and organizations use eHealth?
• Welcome to Week 5
• How can theory help with implementation?
• How can we account for perceptions of an eHealth technology?
• Why are characteristics of the individual important?
• How to involve contextual factors?
• Wrapping up Week 5
• Why and how does eHealth work?
• Welcome to Week 6
• How does eHealth influence evaluation?
• How to create by evaluating?
• What is summative evaluation?
• Wrapping up Week 6
• End of the course summary!