HAN University of Applied Science

One of the most significant societal challenges is ensuring the future viability of healthcare, guaranteeing good and affordable care for everyone. The Technology for Health research group tackles these challenges by developing creative solutions that enhance people's functioning, autonomy, and resilience. Special attention is devoted to supporting individuals in their own (collective) living environments.

We firmly believe that new technology plays a crucial role in this endeavor. Optimal self-management, informal care, monitoring, and remote care are essential and cannot be achieved without it. Through collaborative efforts involving students and professionals, we conduct practical research, constantly questioning: 'what do we do with technology?' and 'what does technology do to us?' This latter question is critical because technology can influence who we are, how we work, and even our culture. Not all healthcare providers and patients can easily adapt to the constant influx of new technology. Our research demonstrates that involving end-users early in a project improves eventual adoption in practice.

Students, as future healthcare providers, are crucial stakeholders in our research. They are the future of healthcare. To prepare them optimally for practice, we established iXperium Health—a space where students, researchers, businesses, and healthcare providers collaborate on technology impact research. We've observed that healthcare providers become inspired and share their acquired knowledge with colleagues in the field through this platform.

We prioritize regional collaboration with other quadruple helix partners because innovation is not a solo pursuit. With this philosophy in mind, we've aligned ourselves as an innovation partner and editorial board member with ICT&health. We aim to share our knowledge and experiences while seeking new collaborations with healthcare institutions, businesses, and academic partners. Additionally, we are seeking researchers and students interested in joining us to tackle the challenge of future-proofing healthcare.

Our key areas: digital health, VR/XR, adoption, innovation, (tele)monitoring, apps.