News & Highlights

29 February 2024

Data protection workshop as part of the Lighthouse Project “Digital Health”

UMIT TIROL, VASCage, ESD – Evaluation Software Development, the Austrian Public Health Insurance (OeGK) and the Tirol Kliniken work together in the Lighthouse Project “Digital Health,” funded by the federal state of Tyrol, with the aim of recording, merging, linking, and processing relevant health data from various sources.

In the clinical Showcase related to stroke (work package 3, led by UMIT TIROL), causal analytic approaches, including machine learning methods, are applied to the linked data to validly and efficiently analyze the role of compliance with stroke medication within the stroke card program, its predictors as well as its impact on patient-relevant outcomes.

As part of this project within work package 5 (legal and ethical aspects of this data linkage), UMIT TIROL and VASCage organized a data protection workshop on the “Legal and Scientific Aspects of Data Linkage” on February 28, 2024. In total 30 participants from different disciplines and Tyrolean institutions engaged in a lively discussion on legal, organizational, and scientific challenges of data linkage and provided their expertise and possible solutions for challenges related to data linkage and protection. After a short welcome and introduction by Prof. Uwe Siebert (UMIT TIROL) and Prof. Michael Knoflach (VASCage), the first part of workshop led by Dr. Verena Stühlinger, data protection officer at UMIT TIROL, covered the aspects of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Health Data Space (TEHDAS.eu) and the overall privileged use of health data in research. The second part led by Prof. Holger Gothe, data linkage expert of the UMIT TIROL project team, discussed the scientific aspects of data merging and the methodological aspects and challenges of secondary data analysis. In the final part of the workshop, Prof. Uwe Siebert provided an overview on using causal inference methods and target trial emulation for the analysis of real-world data. This in-person workshop served as an important information and networking event in the rapidly growing field of data analytics in health and medicine.

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5 February 2024

Assoc.-Prof. Elisabeth Nöhammer joins the Steering Committee of EUPHA’s Health Promotion Section

Assoc.-Prof. Elisabeth Nöhammer was selected as a member of the Health Promotion Section Steering Committee of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA). The EUPHA Health Promotion Section aims to promote exchange of research, training, and practice expertise in health promotion among European experts. It also aims to stimulate and support joint research projects of its members. The Section serves as a platform for the discussion of the theoretical foundations for health promotion as well as for advocating for health promotion within EUPHA and beyond and bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners working in the same field for knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Link: https://eupha.org/health-promotion

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11 December 2023

UMIT TIROL scientists as new Members of the European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer (EC-CvC) Expert Pool

Assoc.-Prof Dr. Gaby Sroczynski, MPH, and Prof. Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc, from the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL have been selected as Members of the European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer (EC-CvC) Expert Pool. The EC-CvC Expert Pool provides important support to the activities of the EC Initiative on Cervical Cancer.

For further information, see: https://healthcare-quality.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/ec-cvc

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11 December 2023

Our Associate Researcher Dr. Erica Suzumura, together with Prof. Dr. Heloisa Carvalho, were awarded 2nd best radiotherapy research of the XXV Brazilian Society of Radiotherapy Conference.

The research included a decision-analytic modelling study of brachytherapy for patients with cervical cancer, developed in collaboration of Universidade de São Paulo, FMUSP and UMIT TIROL, Hall in Tirol, under the supervision of Beate Jahn, Patrícia Soárez and Uwe Siebert with the contribution of Layse Gama, Geovanne Pedro Mauro, Lára Hallsson and Gaby Sroczynski.

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09 October 2023

Expert workshop MeDeMSA working group

On 9 October 2023, the expert workshop of the MeDeMSA (Medical Decision Making in MSA) working group focused on the theme of 'MeDeMSA: HTA-supported medical decision making in MSA.' The event was hosted at Innsbruck University Hospital and led by Assoc.-Prof. Beate Jahn (UMIT TIROL), with the participation of national and international experts. In the project, a decision analysis will assess MSA diagnostics and treatment for both standard care and personalized best medical care, including telemedicine. The established interdisciplinary Standing-Expert Panel, comprising experts from the Universities of Innsbruck, Graz, London, UMIT TIROL, as well as Tirol Kliniken and i-HTS - International HealthTechScan, provided insights for decision analysis and the Health Technology Assessment Framework.

A follow-up workshop is planned for 2024.

For further details please go to: https://www.i-med.ac.at/medemsa/

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08 August 2023

UMIT TIROL scientist appointed as expert in working group reviewing European guideline on clinical evaluation of medical device

Dr. Dipl.-Biol. Petra Schnell-Inderst, MPH, from the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) at UMIT TIROL – University for Health Sciences and Technology was recently appointed by the European umbrella organization of medical societies BioMed Alliance as an expert to the Task Force on Clinical Evaluation (WP22) of the Working Group on Clinical Investigation and Evaluation (CIE).

The task force is responsible for adapting the MEDDEV 2.7/1 Revision 4 guideline to the legal framework of the Medical Device Regulation, which is applied since May 2021. MEDDEV 2.7/1 is a European guideline for the preparation of clinical evaluations as part of the conformity assessment (CE marking) of medical devices. This guideline is intended to assist manufacturers and public authorities in establishing a common best practice for the clinical evaluation of medical devices. Clinical evaluation is the process of collecting, evaluating, and analyzing the clinical data available for a medical device to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support CE marking.

Dr. Petra Schnell-Inderst, who heads the Health Technology Assessment Program at UMIT TIROL , was appointed to the task force as a member of the EU Horizon 2020 project CORE-MD. Led by the European Society of Cardiology, CORE-MD brings together UMIT TIROL and 21 other medical societies, EU regulatory agencies, national public health institutes, notified bodies, universities, patient advocacy groups and health technology assessment agencies. CORE-MD will systematically review methods for the evaluation of high-risk medical devices and advise EU regulators on methods for generating evidence. The aim is to achieve an appropriate balance between innovation, safety and clinical effectiveness.

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03 August 2023

UMIT TIROL doctoral candidate has been appointed as the next Chair of the ISPOR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Round Table for the Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Abeer Al Rabayah, BSc Pharm, MBA, MSc (iHTA), PMP, UMIT TIROL doctoral candidate and Head of the Center for Drug Policy and Technology Assessment (CDPTA) at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), has been appointed as the next Chair of the ISPOR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Round Table for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) from January 2024 to December 2026.

ISPOR - The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research, is a globally recognized scientific society with dedicated to promote health economics and outcomes research excellence to improve decision making for health globally.

As the upcoming Chair of the ISPOR HTA Round Table for the MEA region, Abeer Al Rabayah, BSc Pharm, MBA, MSc (iHTA), PMP will be instrumental in shaping the future of health technology assessment within the region and driving positive change.

We wish Abeer all the best in her upcoming leadership role.

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15 May 2023

Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni was elected to the Board of Directors of the European Association of Health Law

Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni was elected to the Board of Directors of the European Association of Health Law by the General Assembly on 20.4.2023.

In recent years, Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni has been very active in the EAHL, both academically and organizationally (as the Association's National Contact Person for Austria). Further information on the Association can be found at https://eahl.eu/.

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25 April 2023

Private University UMIT TIROL as a Meeting Place for International Scientists

Scientists from nine countries exchange ideas on the EU Horizon 2020 project RECETAS at network meeting

On April 24 and 25, the annual meeting of the project partners of the EU Horizon 2020 project RECETAS will take place at the campus of the Tyrolean private university UMIT TIROL. During the network days in Hall in Tirol, a total of 30 scientists from Spain, Australia, France, USA, Ecuador, Finland, the Czech Republic and Austria will exchange information about the development of the RECETAS research project. The progress within the research teams will be discussed, the work packages will be analyzed regarding interviews, surveys, scientific output and, among other things, external communication measures will be discussed.

In the RECETAS project (Re-imagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces), which will run for five years, researchers from 13 organizations in nine countries aim to provide answers to the question of whether prescribing social activities in natural spaces can reduce feelings of loneliness and improve the quality of life in urban areas. In this context, "social prescribing" refers to interventions in which health professionals work with people, who feel lonely, to identify activities that can improve health and quality of life.

As part of RECETAS, the health sciences university UMIT TIROL was commissioned with a work package in the areas of data science, causality research and modeling of public health measures due to its international reputation and expertise. "As a health sciences university, we are making an important contribution to the relatively new field of interventions that take place in nature and are organized by the health sector. We as UMIT TIROL will assess the long-term effects of various nature-based social activities on the endpoints of loneliness and quality of life and shed light on the health economic component," commented the scientific leader of the work package Dr. Sibylle Puntscher from the Department of Public Health at the UMIT TIROL.

The head of the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, adds "I am pleased that our Public Health Institute can contribute its scientific expertise in health data and decision science and modeling to RECETAS. Especially for Tyrol with its unique nature and economic potential, this innovative project offers important perspectives in nature-based and social health care."

The rector of the private university UMIT TIROL, Prof. Dr. Sandra Ückert, is pleased that the expertise of the Tyrolean health university is being drawn upon within the framework of this major EU project and that the annual meeting is taking place on the campus of UMIT TIROL. "It is particularly exciting that RECETAS expands the perspective of health care to include social interaction and the connection to nature, which is an important aspect especially in and for Tyrol ", says the rector.

Further information:

https://www.umit-tirol.at/page.cfm?vpath=departments/public_health/eu-h2020-projekt-recetas-

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March 17, 2023 (Media Information)

EURORDIS, EPF and UMIT TIROL launch major project to empower patient involvement in Health Technology Assessments

EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe has launched the European Capacity Building for Patients (EUCAPA) project as part of the EU4HEALTH initiative.

EUCAPA is designed to train patients and their representatives in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) – the multidisciplinary and systematic process that evaluates the added value of a health technology in comparison to other existing or new ones.

Through EUCAPA, patients and their representatives will gain knowledge and skills to participate in HTA decision-making processes and advocate for equitable access to innovative treatments for rare diseases.

The European Commission selected a consortium composed of EURORDIS, the European Patients Forum (EPF) and UMIT TIROL to build the capacities and knowledge for patient advocates to participate in HTAs at the national or European level.

EUCAPA will ensure that patients and patient organisations have the necessary knowledge of the HTA process to be meaningfully involved in HTA (both in scientific consultations and assessments), as foreseen by the new Regulation on HTA (EU) 2021/2282, which will start assessing health technologies in January 2025.

After undergoing the training programmes, patient experts will acquire the necessary skills, knowledge, and understanding of HTA, allowing them to constructively participate and present their lived experience in assessing health technologies.

“We are excited about the launch of EUCAPA. Through trainings and clear information, EUCAPA will contribute to the preparedness of the European patient community. We expect EUCAPA to make a concrete and long-lasting impact on the implementation of the HTA Regulation.” (Valentina Strammiello, Director of Programmes at EPF)

Focusing mostly – but not exclusively – on people living with cancer and people who need advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), EUCAPA is set to last two years and will offer three types of trainings:

- Online introductory training for the larger patient community and patient organisations who need to know more about HTA to participate in joint clinical assessments (JCAs) and scientific consultations (JSCs).

- Online fast-track training enabling patients to gain the essential skills needed to participate as patient experts, which will be aimed at those who will participate in JCAs and JSCs at short notice.

- In-person extended training that will further develop concepts, skills and knowledge from the two previous trainings.

The EUCAPA training comes at a crucial time with the current implementation of the new Regulation on HTAs (EU) 2021/2282. The HTA Regulation’s framework has significantly increased the role of patient experts, so the need to further and better train patients in HTA has become vital. Responding to this need, EUCAPA will become the largest coordinated HTA training for advocates provided to date.

“The HTA Cooperation is firstly about transparency of HTA procedures and reports, and high quality of the assessment. With appropriate training, patients can take part in EU HTA, understand how assessments are made, contribute, and improve their quality.” (François Houÿez, Information & Access to Therapies Director & Health Policy Advisor at EURORDIS)

The training is based on the consortium's joint experience in patient advocacy, international HTA research, and more than two decades of education in HTA (htads.org).

“We are extremely excited to participate in this high-quality joint EU4HEALTH project with our colleagues from EURORDIS and EPF. Most of all, we are looking forward to mutual learning with and from the participating patient advocates.” (Uwe Siebert, Department Chair and Professor of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and HTA at UMIT TIROL)

About EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe

EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe is a unique, non-profit alliance of over 1,000 rare disease patient organisations from 74 countries that work together to improve the lives of the 30 million people living with a rare disease in Europe. By connecting patients, families and patient groups, as well as by bringing together all stakeholders and mobilising the rare disease community, EURORDIS strengthens the patient voice and shapes research, policies and patient services.

About the European Patients’ Forum

The European Patients’ Forum (EPF) is an independent non-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation of patient organisations across Europe and across disease-areas. EPF’s 78 members include disease-specific patient groups active at EU level and national coalitions of patients.

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November 9, 2022 (Media information)

UMIT TIROL University and Jordan's King Hussein Cancer Center sign research collaboration agreement.

November 9, 2022 (Media information)
UMIT TIROL University and Jordan's King Hussein Cancer Center sign research collaboration agreement.
The agreement is valid for six years and aims to promote collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) at UMIT TIROL – University for Health Sciences and Technology and the Center for Drug Policy and Technology Assessment at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) and to push for exchange opportunities and research cooperation between the two research institutions.

"Within the framework of the cooperation with the Center for Drug Policy and Technology Assessment of the King Hussein Cancer Center, we want to foster the exchange of students, lecturers and staff, organize joint lectures and seminars and initiate joint research projects in the next six years. We are extremely excited about this research collaboration with the KHCC, which will bring further international impulses for our work at the institute," said the Director of the Institute for Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert.

The Rector of UMIT TIROL - University for Health Sciences and Technology, Prof. Dr. Sandra Ückert, sees the agreement with the King Hussein Cancer Center as another building block in the internationalization of research cooperation at UMIT TIROL. "Our claim as a university is to be an active driver of innovation in the fields of health sciences and health technology with high standards in science and research. A central element in this are proven research collaborations with international, national, and regional partners. With the cooperation with the King Hussein Cancer Center, we have been able to gain another renowned international research partner," said the Rector.

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November 8, 2022

LH Mattle: "Three million Euros for university education in the field of public health".
Master's program at UMIT TIROL to be funded with three million euros until 2027/2028

Training for future experts in health-related policy fields

70 students are currently completing training in "Public Health" - 12 people have already positively completed studies

Knowledge and skills through cross-organizational teaching as well as internationality, internships and semesters abroad

Master's program at UMIT TIROL to be funded with three million euros until 2027/2028

In order to strengthen Tyrol as a location for science and research, it also needs a diverse and high-quality range of courses. At the request of Science Provincial Councillor Cornelia Hagele, the Tyrolean provincial government decided today, Tuesday, to support the master's degree program "Public Health" at UMIT TIROL for the academic years 2022/2023 to 2027/2028 with around three million Euros. "Not least the past few years have shown us the great importance of public health. The master's program 'Public Health' prepares students for practice in the healthcare sector. This is because the challenges in the health sector and, in particular, the increasingly aging population increasingly aging population require overarching cooperation between the various disciplines in the interests of public health. To achieve this, we need highly trained public health experts who can contribute to meeting the challenges of our time in the health care system," says Anton Mattle, head of the provincial government. LHStv Georg Dornauer agrees: "In order to ensure sustainable health care for all Tyroleans, we need access to high-quality medical services close to home on the one hand, and science and research on the other, which take into account regional characteristics as well as international know-how. With this study program, we are promoting the training of experts who will subsequently contribute their know-how to health-related policy fields and the development of preventive and health-promoting programs - also in Tyrol."

The master's program started in the winter semester 2019/2020, with 35 places available per academic year. Currently, a total of 70 people are in the program, and 12 people have already positively completed the program with a deadline of September 30, 2022. "With the study at UMIT TIROL, Tyrol takes a pioneering role in university-based further qualification offers in the field of public health. The demand is high, the feedback from students and teachers is extremely positive. Thanks to the cooperation between UMIT TIROL, the Medical University of Innsbruck, the University of Innsbruck and the Tirol Kliniken, an education can be offered that is also convincing regarding the supervision of internships and master's theses as well as teaching," emphasizes LRin Hagele. The content of the master's program is also to be successively expanded: "Various electives, online offerings, more internationality, internships and semesters abroad, as well as scientific conferences, are to further expand the range as part of the program. Within the framework of the three million euros decided today, personnel plans to this effect can also be taken into account."

About the master's program - internships from Lienz to Munich

The interdisciplinary field is a system of different professions, scientific disciplines as well as organizations. In the context of internships and master's theses, students have contacts with health care institutions in Austria and abroad. For example, students have completed internships in national and international institutions such as the Tyrol Clinics, the District Administration of Lienz (Health Department) or the Society for Therapy Research in Munich. When writing master's theses, the focus is on regional, national and international research projects, so that EU funds are also collected in the context of grants. In the future, students will continue to be involved in EU research projects, so that they come into contact with international partner universities in the course of their theses and participate in international scientific and cultural exchange. Finally, regional employers such as MED-EL will also benefit from the practice-oriented education.

Further information about the study program can be found here.

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October 31, 2022

Ursula Scholl-Grissemann receives the Outstanding Paper of the Year Award

Ursula Scholl-Grissemann receives the Outstanding Paper of the Year Award for a publication in the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. The study examines the in-store customer experience (ISCX) in stationary sports stores, taking into account the commercial uniqueness of sports retail. The publication was developed together with Forschungskolleg:innen of the University of Innsbruck.

Citation: Happ, E., Scholl-Grissemann, U., Peters, M. and Schnitzer, M. (2021), "Insights into customer experience in sports retail stores."
International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 312-329.
LINK: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSMS-12-2019-0137/full/html

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October 18, 2022

Working meeting with PHARMIG Secretary General Mag. Alexander Herzog at UMIT TIROL in Hall in Tirol

The Secretary General of PHARMIG, Mag. Alexander Herzog, UMIT TIROL Rector Prof. Dr. Sandra Ückert, UMIT TIROL Vice Rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Tilg, Department Head Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert and the Administrative Director of the Univ.-Klinikum / Landeskrankenhaus Innsbruck MMag. Dr. Clemens Rissbacher met for a working discussion between PHARMIG and UMIT TIROL on Thursday, October 13, 2022.

After a presentation of UMIT TIROL by Rector Sandra Ückert with the focus on governance, research, teaching, academy and the related development priorities in the coming re-accreditation period, Univ.-Prof. Siebert presented the area of Public Health / Health Technology Assessment / Decision Science. Dr. Rissbacher addressed the topics of digitalization & health, D4Health infrastructure and the innovation partnership between Tirol Kliniken, AIT and UMIT TIROL.

Mag. Herzog presented the areas of responsibility of PHARMIG and emphasized at this point the enormous benefit that research provides. PHARMIG is therefore strongly committed to the expansion of Austria as a research location, because where research is carried out, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals, patients often gain early access to innovative drug therapies. PHARMIG also sees the problem of skilled workers, where UMIT TIROL could make a very decisive contribution in Herzog's view to counteract the shortage of skilled workers.

In the in-depth discussion, aspects of Austrian health care, especially topics of particular relevance to the pharmaceutical industry, were discussed in detail. The common interest of UMIT TIROL and PHARMIG in the field of continuing education and training was also explained in detail.

Caption: Working meeting of PHARMIG and UMIT TIROL in Hall in Tirol: Dr. Clemens Rissbacher, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, Rector Prof. Dr. Sandra Ückert, PHARMIG Secretary General Mag. Alexander Herzog and Vice Rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Tilg (© Photo UMIT TIROL).

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October, 11-12, 2022

EU Horizon Europe Projekt CATALYSE started

The EU Horizon Europe project "Climate Action To Advance Healthy Societies in Europe" (CATALYSE) started with a kickoff meeting in Barcelona.

CATALYSE is a Horizon Europe project of the European Union (grant agreement number 101057131), which will be carried out under the leadership of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) over the next 5 years (09/2022 - 08/2027).

Link: https://www.isglobal.org/en/-/catalyse-project-horizon-europe

The EU Horizon Europe project CATALYSE is carried out by a consortium of 20 organizations from 12 countries.

The Institute for Public Health, Medical Decision Making and HTA (IPH) at UMIT TIROL is part of this excellent and interdisciplinary consortium.

The overall goal of CATALYSE is to gain new insights, generate data, and develop new tools to study: 1) the relationships between climate change-induced changes in environmental risks, ecosystems, and human health; 2) the health co-benefits of climate action; 3) the role of health data in decision making; and 4) the societal impacts of climate change on health systems.

The IPH (Institute Director: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc) at UMIT TIROL is involved in several work packages and has the lead in two tasks in the work package "Adaptation and Mitigation in Health Systems". The working group at IPH (led by Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Gaby Sroczynski, MPH) is assessing the economic impact of climate change adaptation strategies in the health sector, such as for example protecting workers from heat-related illnesses. The results will be used by decision-makers (e.g., ministries of health, health insurers, private sector) as a basis for decisions on e.g., resource allocation. Another task includes the development of training materials for health professionals (e.g., medical staff, occupational health, decision makers in Public Health) to support the implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

#CATALYSEHorizon #UMIT #ClimateChange

Photo Kickoff-Meeting October 11/12, 2022

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October 6-7, 2022

EU Horizon Europe Project 4DPICTURE Kick-Off

With a kickoff meeting in Rotterdam, the EU Horizon Europe project "Design-based Data-Driven Decision-support Tools: Producing Improved Cancer Outcomes Through User-Centred Research" (4D-PICTURE) started.

4D-PICTURE is a Horizon Europe project of the European Union (grant number 101057332). Under the leadership of the Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), a consortium of 16 organizations from 8 different European countries will carry out this multidisciplinary project over the next 5 years (10/2022 - 09/2027).

Link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057332

The Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and HTA (IPH) at UMIT TIROL is part of this excellent and interdisciplinary consortium.

The overall goal of 4D-PICTURE is to improve decision aids that support cancer patients in making complex treatment decisions. Existing decision aids rarely take into account quality of life or individual preferences, and their use in clinical practice remains limited.

To achieve this goal, decision-making support tools and recommendation guidance are to be developed for patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer or melanoma. The so-called MetroMapping method is to be used, an approach that enables both those providing treatment and cancer patients to participate in the decision-making process about treatment. Such an approach is expected to lead to better-informed and more individually appropriate decisions, and thus better health outcomes.

The IPH (Director: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc) at UMIT TIROL is involved in several work packages and has the lead in the work package "Evaluation". The working group at IPH coordinated by Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Gaby Sroczynski, MPH (Co-coordinator: Dr. Lara R. Hallsson, MPH) deals with the evaluation of short- and long-term health-economic consequences of the application of MetroMapping empirically in the context of an evaluation study and using a decision analytic modeling approach.

https://www.umit-tirol.at/page.cfm?vpath=departments/public_health/eu-horizon-europe-4d-picture

#4DPICTURE #UMIT

Photo Kickoff-Meeting October 11th/12^th, 2022

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September 24, 2022

National Cancer Screening Committee recommends implementation of organized colorectal cancer screening program

The UMIT TIROL modeling team around Assoc.-Prof. Dr Beate Jahn made a significant contribution to this recommendation with her studies.

In a recently published report, the National Committee for Cancer Screening, an advisory body to the Austrian Ministry of Health, recommended the introduction of an organized colorectal cancer screening program in Austria. After a benefit assessment, the committee concluded that a colorectal cancer screening program using stool blood testing and colonoscopy shows substantial benefits.

UMIT TIROL Professor Uwe Siebert, who is a member of the National Committee for Cancer Screening and the Oncology Advisory Board of the Ministry of Health states “The process of developing screening recommendations based on systematic and explicit decision-analytic modeling is a huge step forward into the direction of evidence-based and transparent decision making”.

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August 24, 2022

International guest lecture on healthcare management at UMIT TIROL

Joseph S. Pliskin, Ph.D, Adjunct Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, and Professor Emeritus Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel visited UMIT TIROL for collaboration in the field of Healthcare Management and Health Decision Science. He also provided a visiting professor lecture as part of a cross-departmental lunch seminar with the title "Novel Principles of Healthcare Management: Doing More with the Same Resources". The visiting professor invitation was initiated by Assoc.-Prof. Beate Jahn who leads the scientific evaluation of several disease management and screening programs in cardiology and oncology at the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology at UMIT TIROL initiated and coordinated this invitation.

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July 28, 2022

Age limits of mammography screening: Final report of first IQWiG benefit assessment supported by a decision-analytic modeling study published

As part of the benefit assessment of mammography screening in Germany, for the first time the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) commissioned a decision-analytic modeling study. Led by Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Gaby Sroczynski, the team (Nikolai Mühlberger, Lára Hallsson, Felicitas Kühne, Beate Jahn) from the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment (Director: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert) at UMIT TIROL conducted a model-based assessment of benefit-harm trade-offs for different age limits in mammography screening in Germany.

In the modeling study, evidence from different sources was synthesized to explicitly weighing the additional benefit of better chances of cure against the potential additional harm of overdiagnosis for different screening strategies with mammography. The results of this modeling study support the findings from IQWiG's benefit assessment derived from randomized trials for an extension of the mammography program to 45-49 years old women. The modeling study provided additional supporting information, particularly for the extension to women aged 70-74 years, which was initially rather uncertain due to insufficient data from empirical studies.

The results of the IQWiG benefit assessment based on empirical studies and supported by the modeling study are now published as a final report.

IQWiG press release (German)

IQWiG HTA Report (German)

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July 25, 2022

Results of the FARKOR study presented at a virtual press briefing

People with a family history of colorectal cancer are more likely to develop colorectal cancer at a young age. For them, early detection examinations can be useful even earlier than at the age of 50 years, as is currently recommended in Germany. This is shown by the results of the Bavaria-wide pivotal project FARKOR, which were presented at a virtual press briefing.

FARKOR stands for "screening for individuals at familial risk for colorectal carcinoma". Within the framework of this model project in Germany, which was supported by the Innovation Funds of the German Federal Government, the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL conducted a model-based health-economic evaluation. Led by Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Gaby Sroczynski, the team at the Institute (Assoc.-Prof. N. Mühlberger, Dr. L. Hallsson and Assoc.-Prof. B. Jahn as well as Institute Director Prof. Uwe Siebert) evaluated different screening strategies in colorectal cancer screening of individuals with identified familial risk for colorectal cancer in Germany. The results of FARKOR are surprising: weighing potential health benefits, harms, and costs of the evaluated strategies, screening with colonoscopy at 10-year intervals or alternatively with biennial immunochemical fecal blood testing (iFOBT) - both at ages 30 to 70 years - appears effective in terms of avoided cancer deaths and is cost-effective.

Link to our Press release (German)

Further Press Releases (German):

Link to Ärztezeitung

Link to NetDoktor

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July 5, 2022

Harvard T.H. Summer School Chan School of Public Health in Boston back in person

Professor Uwe Siebert from the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL has been teaching the course RDS 286 Decision Analysis in Clinical Research in the Harvard summer program for 9 years. As a co-faculty, Assoc. Prof. Beate Jahn teaches the introduction to cost-effectiveness analysis.

After 2 years of online classes due to the COVID pandemic, the Summer School of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health took place in person again this year. The course was accepted with enthusiasm, and this year, scientists and students from all over the world came to further their training in the field of clinical decision analysis.

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June 23, 2022

RECETAS CONVENES ITS 2^ND ANNUAL MEETING, First-in person meeting for project partners

After more than a year of online collaboration, the RECETAS consortium met in Barcelona for its 2^nd annual consortium meeting. Partners came from as far as Australia, Ecuador, USA, as well as various European cities. Partners worked intensely for two days, getting to know each other, sharing ideas, connecting over science, and exploring Barcelona’s natural environment. Partners left Barcelona feeling nourished by the rich scientific exchange, and are ready for next steps of co-creation and feasibility studies in our six pilot cities.

RECETAS aims to bring people together to tackle loneliness by developing and testing nature-based social interventions.

The Meeting Programme in a nutshell

During these two days, we reviewed key project topics:

Engaging local populations and stakeholders through co-creation workshops to develop the "menu" of prescriptions in nature
Reviewing the scientific and ethical aspects of the planned observational studies and clinical trials
Creating impact through scientific publications and other dissemination strategies
Training on the Circle of friends model led by our Finnish partners, a facilitated group intervention to support NBSP
Imagining and planning local communication strategies adapted to each territory
Team-building activities in nature through social network activities and meditation and mindfulness

Higlights of Year 1

RECETAS Social Network Analysis

Our partner Visible Network Labs conducted social network analysis (SNA) across the six pilot cities. The objective was to better understand how stakeholders are working to address mental health, well-being, and loneliness through social prescribing and nature-based activities.

More than 250 organizations across five cities (Melbourne, Australia; Helsinki, Finland; Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; and Cuenca, Ecuador) were invited to participate. While in Marseille, another Social Network Analysis was carried out and 360 organizations were identified as working to address loneliness, mental health, and well-being.

Across the six territories, the SNAs highlight the powerful effects of the pandemic on the exchange of resources among stakeholders and on the awareness of the risks on loneliness for the mental health and well-being of citizens. Most of the organizations mentioned green spaces, outdoor recreation, nature walks and cycling as some of the top ways that they were using to address mental health, well-being and loneliness. The understanding of the term "Nature-based social prescribing" is very unequal across the territories. For example, the concept is not well known in Marseille (89% don’t know it), unlike in Helsinki where 70% of respondents know what it means.

The stakeholders’ network is structured differently depending on the city. However, the main challenge for developing innovative activities combining nature, health and social action is common: to encourage cooperation and the diversification of collaboration between local actors. To know more about the findings, read the article here.
Find all the surveys here.

Co-Creation of the Nature-Based Social Prescribing Menu

The partners have engaged stakeholders in their respective communities to:

Define Nature-based Social Prescribing menus adapted to each RECETAS pilot city: Barcelona, Cuenca (Ecuador), Helsinki, Marseille, Melbourne, Prague.
Design the intervention studies and clinical trials that will take place in the pilot cities and prepare feasibility study protocols to test the study concepts and acceptability of the study conditions

Communication

To promote the project all over the world, we created several documents and communication tools. Feel free to use these tools to talk about RECETAS!

We also presented RECETAS at various national and international events. At the local level, each partner has also worked to involve stakeholders, public authorities as well as local press and media with strategic advice from Financial Times journalist, Simon Kuper.

What’s Next for Year 2?

Testing Nature-based Social Prescribing

Co-creating the activities in nature that will be tested to fight against loneliness in the cities
Adapting these prescriptions to the specificities and target audiences of each pilot city
Recruiting the participants who will take part in the experiments
Examining the pitfalls of clinical trials and intervention studies through scientific workshops

Disseminating new knowledge to the scientific community

The consortium has created a publication committee that will monitor consortium-level dissemination activities, creating a transparent and inclusive process to support all consortium members. The consortium is committed to supporting young investigators and junior faculty.
After being present at the 26th Nordic Congress of Gerontology held in June, the RECETAS consortium will take part into the 18^th International Conference on Urban Health in October in Valencia, Spain.

Mobilising stakeholders and public authorities

Continuing to build the connection work among different actors working on health, social action and nature
Developing a platform to support the implementation of Nature-based Social Interventions and Prescribing
Communicating with associations, doctors, local authorities, politicians, etc. to raise awareness and involve them in the project

Contact: Sibylle.Puntscher@umit-tirol.at

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May 20, 2022

RECETAS|Long Night of Research

On 20th of May, the science communication event "Long Night of Research" (“Lange Nacht der Forschung”) took place with more than 2,700 exhibition stations all over Austria. The focus of the event is on the communication and explanation of science and research to the public. It covers a wide range of topics from society, environment, health, natural sciences, technology and energy to business, digitization, and culture. The aim is to present these scientific topics in an innovative, understandable, and entertaining way with free admission for everyone. Overall, 135,000 interested people participated in this event with more than 800 visitors at UMIT TIROL. RECETAS was presented at one exhibition booth of the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment by showing and discussing the RECETAS poster in German translation and also spreading the RECETAS flyers to reach public awareness and engage visitors in thinking about loneliness and nature-based social prescribing.

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May 09, 2022

Kick off COVID-19 OptimAgent

Under the lead of Assoc.-Prof. Beate Jahn and Prof. Uwe Siebert, a UMIT TIROL team contributes to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) sponsored project ‘Optimal Control of the Epidemic under Heterogeneity Conditions – Decision Perspective on Agent- based Modelling (OptimAgent)’ in Germany.

The OptimAgent consortium aims to develop a unified decision-making process in the field of public health during pandemics that enables the evaluation of all measures applied in the current and future pandemics. A key component is the development of an agent-based model with a flexible modular structure and with a special focus on population heterogeneity to support public health decision-making in future pandemics.

The UMIT TIROL team is excited that within this new research project, the team can continue the work on decision support in a pandemic in an international context. The project provides an excellent platform for international and interdisciplinary collaborations developing a model tailored particularly to inform health policy decision-making during future pandemics being adaptable for other endemic pathogens.

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April 30, 2022

New RECETAS Newsletter is online!

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April 30, 2022

IPH presents results on recommendations for study design of pivotal studies in ISO standards on cardiovascular medical devices at CORE-MD project board meeting.

Dr. Petra Schnell-Inderst, the project leader of CORE-MD at UMIT, presented results from the systematic review on recommendations for the design of pivotal studies of medical devices at the project board meeting in Leiden, the Netherlands, on 25.4.2022. In addition to representatives of the various work packages from the Horizon 2020 CORE-MD project, a scientific expert panel and representatives of the European Commission also took part.

The standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) play an important role in international and European legislation for medical devices. In the European Union, manufacturers can obtain presumption of conformity for their medical device by complying with harmonized standards. Presumption of conformity is a prerequisite for approval. A standard becomes a harmonized standard when the EU Commission issues a standardization request, thereby verifying conformity with EU legislation, in this case the "Medical Device Regulation". We looked at the standards on cardiovascular high-risk medical devices, which make recommendations on the design for the studies for approval.

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April 13, 2022

Health Technology Assessment report on occupational therapy for persons with cognitive impairment online!

The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) report was commissioned by the German Institute for Medical Information and Documentation (DIMDI).

The HTA report examined the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness as well as patient-related, social, and ethical aspects of occupational therapy for persons with cognitive impairment. Persons with moderate or severe dementia were not considered. The HTA report identified and evaluated systematic reviews on the topic. For the evaluation of clinical effectiveness, a total of nine systematic reviews, comprising 45 randomized trials, were included in the present HTA report. No systematic review was identified for the assessment of costs and cost-effectiveness. Five systematic reviews, comprising 104 studies, were included for the assessment of patient and social aspects, and nine documents were included for the ethical assessment.

It could not be demonstrated with certainty that occupational therapy is an effective therapy compared to interventions without occupational therapy, but conversely, the effectiveness of occupational therapy cannot be ruled out either. Systematic reviews for the German-speaking countries were not available. Systematic reviews on the experiences of patients and caring relatives could only be found for patients after stroke or craniocerebral trauma. It was not possible to clarify on the basis of the publications whether occupational therapy was a component of the therapy. However, since the reviews were primarily concerned with the experience of the different phases of the disease, we assumed that these experiences could also be transferred to patients who were treated with occupational therapy.

Basically, after a stroke or a traumatic brain injury, both the patients and the caregiving relatives seem to go through certain phases during rehabilitation and after discharge, in which health professionals can contribute more or less to successfully coping. A decisive turning point is the discharge home. It is associated with a transition to increased control and self-management by the patient, but also with the loss of the protected, supportive environment in the rehabilitation facility and with uncertainty. Regaining an active, self-determining role is a process that requires therapists to find the right level of support from patients and relatives.

Patients in the studies wanted individual and sufficient information, especially about the cause of the disease, the individual progress, the evaluation of the treatment plan and decisions about discharge and aftercare. They wanted more attention to be paid to their psychosocial needs: regaining their roles, the practical needs of managing at home, preparing for a return to work, adapting to life situations and transitioning to independence.

The autonomy of the patient and its restriction due to the consequences of the disease, as well as the resulting tensions with and for the therapists, are the central themes of the ethical analysis. Due to sensorimotor, communicative and/or cognitive limitations, patients' ability to express themselves may be restricted. Cognitive limitations and a restricted perception of one's own deficits can also especially affect the ability to make decisions. This is a particular challenge for occupational therapy professionals because client-centred goal setting is a central professional standard of occupational therapists' professional self-understanding

https://portal.dimdi.de/de/hta/hta_berichte/hta507_bericht_de.pdf

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March 31, 2022

Award excellent teaching 2021

The award for the promotion of good teaching at the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL, which is based on the quality dimensions of the "Mission Statement Teaching at the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL", is an expression of the appreciation and recognition of good teaching as well as the commitment of the teaching staff at the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL. The first three places of the teaching staff are awarded to top teachers of the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment.
First place is awarded to Dipl.-Stat. Raffaella Matteucci Gothe. She was awarded for excellent teaching for the course "Quantitative Methods IV - Logistic Regression Methods" by the UMIT TIROL teaching award jury.
Mag. Dr. Elisabeth Nöhammer was unanimously ranked 2nd for the UMIT TIROL Prize for Excellent Teaching for her course/module Health Promotion and Prevention.
Mrs. Dr. Lára R. Hallsson, MPH was awarded third place for the UMIT Tirol Teaching Award 2021. The submitted teaching concept is an excellent example of a successful combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning elements.

Raffaella Matteucci-Gothe: “For me, the UMIT Teaching Award is a most appreciated distinction. The award confirms that my efforts to implement the UMIT TIROL mission statement on teaching has been successful. I am proud that my endeavors are experienced positively by the students and are seen as an enrichment of their education. I am, however, convinced that we award winners as lecturers are no exceptions in our teaching staff, because in my experience the "spirit of good teaching" is exceptionally strong at our university.”

Elisabeth Nöhammer: “The online teaching setting was a challenge for all of us, so I am particularly happy that students profited from the contents as well as didactical approach of the module.”

Lara Hallsson: "I am very happy about this award, as it shows that very good participative-cooperative teaching with active interaction and communication can also take place in a distance setting."

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March 31, 2022

ECICC - European Commission Initiative on Colorectal Cancer: Inclusion into the ECICC Expert Pool

Prof. Uwe Siebert, Assoc.-Prof. Beate Jahn and Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Gaby Sroczynski from the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL have been invited to serve as experts for the ECICC - European Commission Initiative on Colorectal Cancer. Professor Uwe Siebert said “We are proud to contribute to this leading European initiative and to inform recommendations with our long-standing expertise on medical decision analysis in screening interventions. The fact that three members of our institute have been invited to this important panel shows the competence in evidence-based prevention and public health we have built up at UMIT TIROL over the last 2 decades”.

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March 30, 2022

Invited Talk – Statistics in Science and Society

Assoc.-Prof. Beate Jahn was invited to co-chair the Panel Discussion ‘Statistics in Science and Society: Mind the gap – from Theory to Practice’ with leading representatives from international statistical bureaus and climate and health researchers at the DAGStat 2022 Joint Statistical Meeting.

Since data and statistics play a vital role in science and society, data of sufficient quality are required to support decision making using decision-analytic modelling. This panel discussion builds on the recently published paper ‘On the role of data, statistics and decisions in a pandemic’ by Beate Jahn et al. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35432617/) by reflecting required changes to be better prepared for future pandemics and challenges.

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March 22, 2022

UMIT TIROL Wissenschaftler sind Mitautoren der Studie "Daten und Statistik als Grundlage für Entscheidungen eine Diskussion am Beispiel der Corona Pandemie"

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert und Assoz. Prof. Dr. Beate Jahn vom Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und HTA sind Mitautoren der Stellungnahme "Daten und Statistik als Grundlage für Entscheidungen eine Diskussion am Beispiel der Corona Pandemie". Die Stellungnahme wurde kürzlich von der Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft Statistik (DAGStat) veröffentlicht. Autoren der 30-seitigen Stellungnahme waren Vertreter von zehn Universitäten, vom Statistischen Bundesamt und von der SMDM (Society for Medical Decision Making).

Die Stellungnahme bezieht sich auf die Rolle von Daten, Statistiken und Modellen zur evidenzbasierten Entscheidungsfindung am Beispiel der aktuellen Corona-Pandemie. Viele abgeleitete zukünftige Maßnahmen und Empfehlungen aus dem Dokument sind auch für Situationen abseits der Corona-Pandemie anwendbar und können die Vorsorgeaktivitäten bei Pandemien und Krisen unterstützen. “Wenn wir die Macht der Zahlen voll ausschöpfen wollen, müssen Daten national und international systematisch gesammelt werden. Außerdem müssen die Daten und die daraus entwickelten entscheidungsanalytischen Modelle und deren Ergebnisse transparent und offen kommuniziert werden. Ganz zentral ist dabei eine fächerübergreifende Zusammenarbeit und die Fähigkeit Daten kritisch zu beurteilen”, fasst Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert zentrale Empfehlungen aus der Stellungname zusammen. “Entscheidungen in der Krise werden letztendlich von der Politik getroffen. Zu diesen Entscheidungen können wissenschaftlich fundierte Daten, die zeitnah verfügbar sind, einen wesentlichen Beitrag leisten”, sagt Siebert abschließend.

UMIT TIROL Wissenschaftlerin Assoz. Prof. Dr. Beate Jahn hat in der Diskussion zur Stellungnahme am Beispiel des Forschungsprojektes TAV-COVID aufgezeigt, wie evidenzbasierte zeitnahe Entscheidungsfindung unter Berücksichtigung von Datenunsicherheit unterstützt werden kann. “Beim Projekt TAV-COVID wurden unter Einbeziehung von nationalen und internationalen Experten für Österreich in Frage kommende Impfstrategien, Zielgruppen für die Impfung und Zielkriterien für eine Impfung gesammelt. Auf Basis dieser Informationen wurden dann mit Hilfe eines dynamischen, österreichischen Populationsmodelles verschiedene Impfszenarien simuliert und die Ergebnisse als Entscheidungsgrundlage präsentiert“, sagte Jahn. Und weiter: „Ich denke, dass wir mit den Ergebnissen unserer Studie einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Entscheidungsunterstützung für eine Impfstrategie liefern konnten“.

Die Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft Statistik (DAGStat) ist die Dachorganisation von 13 wissenschaftlichen Fachgesellschaften aus dem Bereich der Statistik sowie des Statistischen Bundesamtes. Die vollständige Stellungnahme kann auf der Homepage der DAGStat www.dagstat.de abgerufen werden.

Das UMIT TIROL Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und Health Technology Assessment hat in den vergangenen Jahren mit Partnern im Rahmen des COMET Projektes DEXHELPP unter der Leitung von Simulationsforscher Dr. Niki Popper von der TU Wien intensiv an der Entwicklung des österreichischen Populationsmodelles GEPOC (Anmerkung: generic population concept) mitgewirkt. Mithilfe dieses Populationsmodells können Aktionen von einzelnen Individuen simuliert werden, um Rückschlüsse auf Bevölkerungsebene ziehen zu können. Es können Kontaktnetzwerke wie Schulen, Familie oder Arbeitsumfeld für jede einzelne Region in Österreich abgebildet und damit gezielte Strategien zur Eindämmung der Pandemie evaluiert werden.

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February 24, 2022

Novelty: First IQWiG benefit assessment supported by a decision-analytic modeling study: age limits of mammography screening

As part of the benefit assessment of mammography screening in Germany, for the first time the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) commissioned a decision-analytic modeling study. Led by Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Gaby Sroczynski, the expert team from the Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment (Director: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert) at UMIT TIROL synthesized evidence from different sources and conducted a model-based assessment of benefit-harm trade-offs for different age limits in mammography screening in Germany. This allowed to estimate the screening effects over a time horizon that is longer than that of the currently available studies, which is important for the assessment of patient-relevant outcomes. In addition, following the health decision science framework, an explicit trade-off assessment for additional benefits due to increased cure rates with early detection versus additional potential harm due to overdiagnosis has been performed and transparently reported. The preliminary results of the IQWiG benefit assessment based on empirical studies and supported by the modeling study are now published as a preliminary report.

IQWiG press release (German): https://www.iqwig.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilungen-detailseite_61376.html

Preliminary Report (German): https://www.iqwig.de/download/s21-01_vorbericht_altersgrenzen-im-mammografie-screening-programm_v1-0.pdf

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January 31, 2022

Dr. Stephan Böse-O'Reilly Appointed as Delegate of the International Pediatric Association (IPA)

Dr. Stephan Böse-O'Reilly has been appointed as delegate for Europe to the 'Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) on Environmental Health' of the International Pediatric Association (IPA). As a pediatrician and expert on environment and health, he will advocate for environment and health specifically for children in this strategic working group of the international pediatric umbrella organization.

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December 13, 2021

Social Prescribing

Article "Soziale Interaktion auf Rezept" (Social Prescribing) about the EU Horizon 2020 Project "RECETAS" published on December 13, 2021, in TOP TIROL https://www.top.tirol/wirtschaftsmeldungen/forschung-innovation/soziale-interaktion-auf-rezept

The RECETAS project analyses the effects of nature-based social prescribing on loneliness and wellbeing.

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September 17, 2021

UMIT Autumn School trains epidemiology experts

Nicht nur theoretisches Wissen sondern auch die praktische Anwendung epidemiologischer Prinzipen stand bei der elften UMIT-Autumn School für Klinische Epidemiologie an der UMIT – Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik im Vordergrund. Auf Grund der COVID-Situation fand die Autumn School dieses Jahr ONLINE statt.

Unter der Leitung von Univ.-Prof. Dr. Albert Hofmann, der an der Harvard School of Public Health den Vorsitz des Departments für Epidemiologie innehat und dort aktiv forscht und lehrt, und Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, dem Vorstand des UMIT-Departments für Public Health, Versorgungsforschung und Health Technology Assessment, nutzten die internationalen Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer eine Woche lang die Möglichkeit, ihr Wissen in Epidemiologie zu vertiefen.

Das Forschungsfeld klinische Epidemiologie liefert wichtige Informationen für Beschäftigte und Entscheidungsträger im Gesundheitswesen, die bei der Identifizierung von Risikofaktoren helfen können und einen Beitrag zu optimalen präventiven, diagnostischen und therapeutischen Strategien für Einzelpersonen und die Bevölkerung leisten.

Die einzelnen Vorlesungen und Online-Workshops der UMIT Autumn School deckten dabei sowohl die wichtigsten Methoden, Elemente und Studiendesigns der klinischen Epidemiologie wie auch die praxisorientierten Anwendung epidemiologischer Grundsätze zu aktuellen Volkskrankheiten wie Krebs- und Herzkreislauferkrankungen ab. Der facettenreiche berufliche Hintergrund der 24 Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer aus 9 Ländern – sie stammten aus Gesundheitsforschung, akademischen Institutionen, dem öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen und der Industrie – ermöglichte zudem fruchtbare Diskussionen, die „aktuellste Forschungsergebnisse mit innovativen wie vielversprechenden Lösungsansätzen zu epidemiologischen Fragestellungen kombinierte“, zeigte sich Gastgeber Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert/UMIT – Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik vom Erfolg der Autumn School überzeugt.

Die Autumn School in Klinischer Epidemiologie ist Teil des in Europa einzigartigen „International Continuing Education Program in HTA & Decision Science (HTADS)“, das aus sieben separat belegbaren Zertifikatskursen, dem internationalen Master-Studium in HTA, Evidence-based Health Care and Decision Science und dem internationalen englischsprachigen Doktoratsprogramm in HTA besteht.

www.umit-tirol.at/htads

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October 14, 2021

RECETAS Website is online!

Subscribe to the RECETAS newsletter:
https://recetasproject.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6604b95537e42c52006432c2&id=c0470f10bb

June 16, 2021

The RECETAS project will test whether Nature-Based Social Prescribing can reduce loneliness and promote mental wellbeing in cities.

UMIT TIROL leads a work package in the EU Horizon 2020 project in a consortium of 13 organizations from 9 countries under coordination of ISGlobal

Can the prescription of social activities in natural spaces reduce feelings of loneliness and improve quality of life in urban contexts? The EU project RECETAS (Re-imagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces) aims to provide answers. This research and innovation project will be carried out by a consortium of 13 institutions from 9 different countries and coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an organization supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation. The project runs over 5 years and is funded with 5 million euros by the European Union through its Horizon 2020 program. Due to the international reputation and expertise in the fields of health data & decision science, causality research and modeling of public health measures, UMIT TIROL was commissioned with its own work package, which is funded with around EUR 800,000.

Social prescribing consists of interventions where care professionals work together with lonely people to identify community activities that can improve health and wellbeing. RECETAS will evaluate how the social prescription of urban nature-based activities can improve the loneliness experienced by many city dwellers.

“We will use participatory processes to involve the public and other stakeholders in the intervention design,” explains Jill Litt, ISGlobal researcher and Project Director. “The project includes novel methodologies such as social network analysis, economic feasibility studies, and randomized trials The goal is for RECETAS not only to contribute to the scientific evidence, but to offer healthcare providers, care professionals, social service organizations and communities sensible solutions to address loneliness in a cost-effective way”, she adds.

UMIT TIROL researcher and lead of the work package for the evaluation of benefits, risks and economic aspects of nature-based social prescribing, Ass.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Ursula Rochau, explains: “UMIT TIROL will contribute significantly to the new field of nature-based social prescribing. We will evaluate the long-term effect of interventions on loneliness and quality of life and we will assess the health economic consequences.“ Department Chair and UMIT TIROL Prof. Siebert adds “I am pleased that our Institute of Public Health will contribute its scientific expertise in data science and modeling to the RECETAS project. Especially for Tyrol with its unique nature and the economic potential, this innovative project offers important perspectives in nature-based and social health care.“

In Europe alone, and before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 75 million adults indicated that they met with family or friends a maximum of once a month, and 30 million felt frequently lonely. Evidence has shown that loneliness shortens our productive lifespan and can be as dangerous to health as smoking or being overweight. The good news is that loneliness is modifiable.

In cities, nearby nature can provide therapeutic benefits and promote social interaction. Investments in nature-based solutions and green infrastructure, intended to mitigate rapid urbanization and its negative environmental consequences in cities, can also be used to improve health and wellbeing, including in emergency contexts such as the confinements related to COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the key ingredients of the RECETAS project is its interdisciplinary approach, bringing together professionals from different fields including: public health, psychology, clinical medicine, engineering, economics, business, and law, among others.

To achieve its objectives, RECETAS will carry out three observational studies and three randomised controlled trials in six cities worldwide: Barcelona, Marseille, Prague, Helsinki, Cuenca and Melbourne. These studies will make important contributions to the small, but growing body of evidence around the potential for nature-based social interventions to help create health and wellbeing. At the same time, these solutions aim to reduce pressure on already stressed medical systems.

Leads of the work package on benefits, risks and health economic consequences:

Ass.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr. Ursula Rochau, ursula.rochau@umit-tirol.at

Prof. Uwe Siebert, MD, MPH, MSc, ScD , public-health@umit-tirol.at

Website: www.recetas.umit.at

The 13 participating organizations are:

Agence des Villes et Territoires durables en Mediterranée (AViTeM, France)
Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya (ASPCAT, Spain)
Aketh Investments Services (AIS, Spain)
Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM, France)
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Spain)
Charles University (CU, Czech Republic)
Fundació Salut i Envelliment UAB (FSIE-UAB, España)
Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT, Austria)
RMIT University (Australia)
University of Cuenca (UC, Ecuador)
University of Helsinki (UH, Finland)
University of the West of England (UWE, UK)
Visible Network Labs (VNL, USA)

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June 11, 2021

300 Participants at SMDM Spring Event "Preparedness for Pandemics”

The virtual European Spring Event of the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM), with the general theme "Preparedness for Pandemics", was a great success. The program chairs of the event, UMIT TIROL scientists Dr. Beate Jahn, Dr. Silke Siebert and Dr. Uwe Siebert, as well as Dr. Tobias Kurth from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, succeeded in attracting such renowned speakers for the event as the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr. Andrea Ammon, and the Special Envoy on Covid-19 for the World Health Organization and former UN Advisor, Dr. David Nabarro.

"The aim of the event was to engage with researchers, health workers, decision makers and other stakeholders from around the world on the important topic of preparedness in relation to pandemics. With over 300 registered participants from 43 countries around the globe, we thoroughly succeeded," said UMIT TIROL professor Dr. Beate Jahn, who is currently also Vice President of SMDM.

For the head of the UMIT TIROL Department of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment, Dr. Uwe Siebert, the international exchange on the topic of pandemic preparedness was very enlightening. "We all learned a lot from each other at this meeting – not only how important it is for different regions and countries to join forces in joint pandemic preparedness and response, but also how necessary it is to analyze and explicitly communicate uncertainties and trade-offs," Siebert said. The keynote statements, interactive workshop on the topic, discussions and virtual exchanges during the event helped to establish new contacts in this interdisciplinary research field and create new global networks between researchers and decision makers for the future, Siebert concluded.

Video recording of the event (coming soon) h ere

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June 07, 2021

COVID-19 Decision Models Webinar Recordings Available!

Did you miss the SMDM’s COVID-19 Decision Modeling Webinar? We are happy to announce that the recordings are now available for on-demand viewing via the SMDM Website for free. Click here to view the videos.

We hope you enjoy these videos.

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April 24, 2021

Assisted suicide deemed possible

Lawyer and Assistant Professor, Dr. Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni, answered legal questions about assisted suicide during an interview with the Tiroler Tageszeitung and explained why regulations are necessary following the ruling of the Constitutional Court(VfGH).

Asst.-Prof. Dr. Flatscher-Thöni is coordinator of the program for 'Health Policy, Administration, Economics and Law' at the Institute for Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT TIROL.

What does the Constitutional Court ruling say?
By January 2022, at the latest, people in Austria must be allowed to seek help from third parties to kill themselves of their own free will. The VfGH found that the criminal offense of "assisting suicide" violates the right to self-determination and is unconstitutional. Free self-determination includes not only the freedom to commit suicide, but also the right to seek the assistance of a (willing) third party. Ordering someone to kill still remains punishable.
What does this mean?
Assisted suicide will be legalized. People with the wish to die can seek the help of a third party. The right to a dignified, self-determined death was not previously available in Austria.
How much leeway is there?
The Constitutional Court points out that free self-determination at the end of a person’s life can be influenced by social and economic circumstances. Life situations, such as a precarious economic situation or the consideration of caring relatives, are addressed. The Court calls on the legislature to provide measures in the new regulation to prevent potential abuse so that those affected do not make their decision to commit suicide under the influence of others.
What can an advance directive or a living will regulate?
In a written declaration of intent or living will, the future patient can reject medical treatment. The will becomes effective if the patient is unable to decide for himself at the time of treatment. The future patient determines the treatments to be excluded, based on medical information. Life-prolonging measures can be rejected. It is important that the treatments refused are specifically defined.
Who decides if there is no advance directive?
In principle, the patient's self-determination is paramount. If the necessary capacity to consent is no longer present, it is possible, in addition to the living will, to be represented by a health care proxy, a trusted person who can also decide on serious medical matters. If neither of these is available, there are various other forms of adult representation.

The interview was conducted by Alexandra Plank

You can find the article in: TT - Tiroler Tageszeitung, 24.04.2021, issue 114, page 13.

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November 24, 2020

UMIT TIROL scientists present basis for decisions regarding targeted COVID-19 vaccination strategies

Stepwise approach: highest reduction in deaths and hospitalizations can be achieved by vaccination of elderly followed by vulnerable individuals with comorbidities.

During a COVID-19 symposium at John Hopkins University, Dr. Beate Jahn und Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert from the UMIT TIROL Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making und Health Technology Assessment presented results of the research project "Targeted COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies: An Agent-based Modeling Evaluation Considering Limited Vaccination Capacities (TAV-COVID)" and discussed them with international scientists. Worldwide, 3000 people participated in this virtual symposium with key note speaker Dr. Anthony Fauci, the key expert and advisor for infectious diseases of the US government.

This project is a collaboration of UMIT, dwh and TU Wien. The project team was advised by members of the Standing Policy and Expert Panel (SPEP TAV-COVID) and other national and international experts on the selection of methods and interpretation of results.

Link to project website TAV-COVID (German): https://umit-tirol.at/tavcovid19

Link to video recording (English) of the COVID-19 Symposium with Beate Jahn presentation of the TAV-COVID Study on targeted vaccination in Austria (time 1:25) and Uwe Siebert's reflections on the presented topics (time 1:43): https://youtu.be/stuvTQLX71w

Link to the FFG project CIDS (German): https://projekte.ffg.at/projekt/3882551

Link to PDF document Executive Summary (long abstract) of the TAV-COVID Expert Meeting, November 17, 2020: Targeted COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies: An Agent-based Modeling Evaluation Considering Limited Vaccination Capacities (TAV-COVID)

Further information & contact:

Ass.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Math. oec. Dr.rer.soc.oec. Beate Jahn, Principal Investigator TAV-COVID, UMIT TIROL Department für Public Health, Versorgungsforschung und Health Technology Assessment,
Tel: +43 (0)508648-3923, e-mail: beate.jahn@umit.at

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc, Co-Principal Investigator TAV-COVID, Chair, UMIT TIROL Department für Public Health, Versorgungsforschung und Health Technology Assessment
Tel: +43 (0)508648-3931, e-mail: uwe.siebert@umit-tirol.at

September 10, 2020

UMIT TIROL publishes the first population model to evaluate benefits and harms of universal salt iodization

An article recently published by Schaffner and colleagues in Thyroid summarizes the results of a decision-analytic population modeling study evaluating the benefits and harms of universal salt iodization. Iodine is a micronutrient that is essential for the production of thyroid hormones. Lack of Iodine may cause a variety of iodine deficiency disorders. During pregnancy, iodine is especially important for the brain development of the fetus. However, excessive iodine consumption can also lead to thyroid diseases. This study reveals that iodine fortification of salt increases healthy life years in a population with moderate iodine deficiency, and is therefore beneficial on a population level.

The group of researchers at UMIT developed a population model simulating the incidence and consequences of iodine deficiency diseases in the absence or presence of a mandatory prevention program for iodine deficiency disorders in the German population. The analysis included not only the current but also the offspring cohort.

The results suggest the German population – with around 80 million inhabitants – gains 5 million life years and 33 million healthy life years by universal salt iodization during the next 120 years. Even though the health of the population improves as a whole, iodine fortification is likely to come with negative consequences for some individuals as it may cause 2.7 million additional cases of hyperthyroidism during that time.

The complete study can be found here: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/thy.2020.0062

Project coordinator and first author of the study Monika Schaffner thinks this work will be key to improving public health in Europe: “We developed a population decision model that can be adapted to other countries and it can be updated as soon as new evidence is available. Our findings will support health care professionals and policy makers to advocate for the prevention of iodine deficiency and its consequences.”

Coauthor and UMIT Associate Professor Nikolai Mühlberger, MPH pointed out that this study is an important step toward supporting evidence-based health policy decisions in Europe. “Benefits and harms of universal salt iodization need to be weighed carefully against each other before deciding on the implementation or continuation of a population based prevention program,” says Mühlberger. Public health expert Assistant Professor Ursula Rochau adds: "Our work also reminds people of the importance of iodine and iodine deficiency disease.”

UMIT Professor Uwe Siebert, MPH, Chair of the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT sees an important role for population modeling in decision support: “During the COVID-19 crisis, the public observed how public health questions can and must be informed by population models. As one of the largest public health departments of Europe, it is our job to provide honest and transparent evidence-based information on benefits and risks of public health interventions to the public”.

The UMIT Population Modelling Research Group evaluates long-term benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness of public health prevention and screening programs, identifies barriers to national and international prevention programs, and informs the public and health policy decision makers on using scientific evidence to improve the people’s health.

About EUthyroid

EUthyroid comprises 31 partners from 27 countries. With a budget of EUR 3 million, this research collaborative will make a significant contribution to analyzing iodine deficiency prevention measures in Europe. The research consortium ‘EUthyroid - Towards a EUthyroid Europe’ (No. 634453) was one of only 67 successfully funded research proposals – out of nearly 2,200 submitted – in the first call of the new Framework Programme of the European Commission: Horizon2020. www.euthyroid.eu

Contact: Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, Email: public-health@umit.at, Tel.: +43-50-8648-3930.

October 23, 2019

UMIT Assistant Professor Beate Jahn becomes SMDM Vice-President Elect

At the 41^th Annual Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) Meeting in Portland, OR, Assistant Professor Beate Jahn was inaugurated as 2019-2021 SMDM Vice-President.

The Society for Medical Decision Making is one of the world's leading professional associations dealing with medical decision making and health care. SMDM seeks to improve the health of individuals and populations through systematic and integrated approaches to clinical decision making and health care policy formulation by connecting and educating researchers, providers, policy-makers and the public.

Assistant Professor Beate Jahn expressed her gratitude: “I thank the SMDM members showing me their trust and confidence. As a Vice-President, I will foster the successful implementation of the SMDM strategic goals on patient engagement, clinical and stakeholder partnerships, and international impact. Within these goals, for me education and development of our students into tomorrow’s leaders is fundamental.”

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc, Chair of the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment expressed his congratulations: “This award recognizes Beate Jahn’s outstanding contribution to SMDM and the field of health decision science through her research, her engagement in internationalization and inclusiveness in SMDM, and her continued education efforts. We are proud that a member of our UMIT team will serve as Vice-President of SMDM and continue advancing health decision sciences incorporation of patients’ values.”

UMIT also plays a leading role in the organization of the 18^th European SMDM Conference, which takes place from June 14 to June 16, 2020 in Berlin. Ass.-Prof. Dr. Beate Jahn, Dr. Silke Siebert and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Siebert (UMIT) put together with Univ.-Prof. Dr. Tobias Kurth from the Charité Berlin a program That aims at linking research to evidence-based action for patients, providers and policy decision makers.

Contact: Assistant Professor Dr. Beate Jahn, Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT – University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Beate.jahn@umit.at, +43-50-8648-3923.

June 01, 2019

Prof. Dr. Daniela Schmid supports Department of Public Health

On June 1, Univ.-Prof. PD Dr. Daniela Schmid has been appointed professor of Quantitative Methods in Public Health and Health Services Research at the Tyrolean Private University UMIT after an intensive and multi-level appointment process. In her new role, Schmid is engaged in research with the topic of statistical epidemiological methods with a focus on health-promoting and preventive measures. In the field of teaching, she will take over the coordination of the Master's program Public Health (MPH), which - subject to the approval of the quality assurance agency AQ Austria - will be offered for the first time in autumn 2019 at the University of UMIT.

April 12, 2019

Presentation of the full HTADS certificate to Prof. Myeong Soo Lee

Professor Myeong Soo Lee from South Korea has been among the participants of the first HTADS course 10 years ago! Today, Program Director Prof. Uwe Siebert handed over the HTADS Certificate for the successful participation in all four HTADS courses. Prof. Lee was very pleased about his achievement and added: 'Your international program is remarkable! And I love the mountains - great combination. I also have sent my colleagues and students to UMIT so that they benefit from this excellent education as well'.

March 28, 2019

EUREGIO-Project „Environment, Food and Health (EUREGIO-EFH)"

The first Workshop on the subject of obesity and healthy aging in the EUREGIO-Region took place at the UMIT

Gesundheitsversorger, Ärzte, Forscher und Vertreter von Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens trafen sich vergangene Woche an der Tiroler Privatuniversität UMIT in Hall, um beim ersten Workshop des EUREGIO-Projektes „Environment, Food and Health (EUREGIO-EFH)“ die sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen von Fettleibigkeit und gesundem Altern zu diskutieren. Dazu wurden von den Organisatoren Ass.-Prof. Dr. Beate Jahn vom UMIT-Institut für Public Health und Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Streicher vom UMIT-Institut für Psychologie internationale Referenten eingeladen, die mit den Teilnehmern Präventionsstrategien und Aktuelles zum Thema Ernährung diskutierten. Im Rahmen des Workshops wurde über den aktuellen Stand des Projektes "EUREGIO - EFH" berichtet, an dem – koordiniert von der Edmund Mach-Stiftung - neun Forschungspartner aus Tirol, Südtirol und Trentino an einer wissenschaftlichen Grundlage für Lösungsansätze zur Bekämpfung von Übergewicht und gesundem Altern in hoher Lebensqualität arbeiten.

Die im Rahmen des Workshops vorgelegten Daten sind alarmierend. So beträgt die Inzidenz von Übergewicht und Adipositas bei Erwachsenen im Trentino 35 Prozent, in Bozen 33 Prozent und in Tirol 40 Prozent. „Mit diesen Zahlen liegen wir zwar unter dem Durchschnitt der Referenzländer Italien und Österreich, bei denen die Inzidenz 42 Prozent bzw. 47 Prozent beträgt; nichtsdestotrotz sind effektive, nachhaltige Maßnahmen, die auf den Lebensstil und die Arbeitsbedingungen in den EUREGIO-Regionen zugeschnitten sind, erforderlich um die Inzidenz und damit das Gesundheitsrisiko bei fettleibigen und übergewichtigen Menschen zu senken“, fasst Ass.-Prof. Dr. Beate Jahn vom UMIT-Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und HTA zukünftige Herausforderungen, die am Workshop diskutiert wurden, zusammen.

Jahn will im Rahmen des EUREGIO-EFH Projektes zentrale Gesundheitsfaktoren im Zusammenhang mit der Ernährung identifizieren. „Wir wollen beispielsweise den Konsum lokaler Produkte mit hoher Nährstoffqualität und einer kontrollierten Lieferkette – etwa Suppen mit Getreide, lokales Gemüse und Hülsenfrüchte, Snacks auf Apfelbasis, Brombeeren und Himbeeren, alpiner Käse, Süßwasserfisch und mageres Fleisch - bewerten. Dabei soll nicht nur untersucht werden, ob solche lokalen Produkte die Gewichtsabnahme unterstützen, sondern auch ob sie bei der Verbesserung der entzündlichen und metabolischen Parameter im Zusammenhang mit Fettleibigkeit von Vorteil sind“, sagte Jahn.

Der Sozialpsychologe und Leiter des Risikolabors an der Universität UMIT, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Streicher will im Rahmen des EUREGIO-EFH Projektes typische Risikowahrnehmungsmuster in Bezug auf Gesundheits- und Krankheitsrisiken in den EUREGIO-Regionen identifizieren und analysieren. „Wir erfassen im Rahmen des Projektes zentrale Faktoren, die zu einem (Nicht-) Einhalten eines gesunden Lebensstils führen. So gehen wir beispielsweise der Frage nach, warum fettleibige und übergewichtige Menschen ihr Gesundheitsrisiko unterschätzen“, sagt Streicher.

January 13, 2019

Leading international scientists publish report on scientific technology assessment as a basis for health care decisions

In der Fachzeitschrift „Value in Health“ wurde kürzlich ein Bericht zur guten Praxis von wissenschaftlicher Technologiebewertung, der von der Arbeitsgruppe für Medizintechnologiebewertung der internationalen Fachgesellschaft ISPOR erstellt wurde, veröffentlicht. Der Leiter des Departments für Public Health, Versorgungsforschung und Health Technology Assessment an der UMIT, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, der auch am Oncotyrol - Zentrum für Personalisierte Krebsmedizin wissenschaftlich tätig ist, hat als Experte und Wissenschaftler an diesem Bericht mitgearbeitet.

„Wissenschaftliche Technologiebewertung mittels Health Technology Assessment (HTA) dient als Hilfestellung bei der Entwicklung klinischer Leitlinien und unterstützt Entscheidungsträger bei den Fragen, welche medizinischen Maßnahmen empfohlen, welche Arzneimittel, Medizinprodukte, Vorsorgemaßnahmen und andere Gesundheitsleistungen eingeführt und ob und in welcher Höhe Kosten dafür übernommen werden. Das Instrument HTA ist nun seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten im Einsatz und wurde jetzt von einer internationalen Arbeitsgruppe für Medizintechnologiebewertung der ISPOR auf den Prüfstand gestellt.“ Ziel der Arbeitsgruppe sei es laut Siebert gewesen, die wissenschaftlich basierte Beratung von Entscheidungsträgern im Gesundheitswesen zu optimieren und allfällige Defizite zu beseitigen.

Dabei wurden in der internationalen Arbeitsgruppe vier Fragen untersucht: Wie wird der HTA-Prozess geregelt, wie wird Information gefunden, analysiert und interpretiert, wie werden die Ergebnisse verwendet und im Kontext der Entscheidung gewichtet und wie werden die Entscheidungen umgesetzt und überwacht.

„Das Ergebnis, zu dem die Wissenschaftler in der Arbeitsgruppe kamen, zeigt klar, dass es im Entscheidungsfindungsprozess für gesundheitspolitische Entscheidungen und auch bei der Integration sozialer Werte und Patientenpräferenzen in der Bewertung medizinischer Maßnahmen noch Lücken gibt. Den Entscheidungsträgern im Gesundheitswesen fehlen klare Empfehlungen für den Umgang mit HTA“, stellte Siebert zu den Ergebnissen der Arbeitsgruppe fest. „Das Department für Public Health, Versorgungsforschung und HTA an der Tiroler Privatuniversität UMIT wird in Kooperation mit nationalen und internationalen Partnern weiterhin dazu beitragen, diese Lücken zu schließen.“ so Siebert, der medizinische Entscheidungsanalyse auch in Harvard lehrt. „Gerade mit unserem modernen UMIT-Programm für HTA und medizinische Entscheidungsfindung leisten wir einen wichtigen Beitrag für die Ausbildung verschiedener Player im Gesundheitswesen, was langfristig unseren Patientinnen und Patienten zugutekommt.“ weist Prof. Siebert auf die Rolle der UMIT in der Ausbildung hin.

ISPOR (International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research) ist die weltweit führende Fachgesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie und Outcomesforschung. Ziel der Gesellschaft ist es, die Exzellenz in diesem Bereich zu fördern und damit die Entscheidungsfindung für die Gesundheit weltweit zu verbessern.

Weitere Information zum HTADS Programm: http://www.umit.at/htads

Referenz:

Finn Børlum Kristensen, MD, PhD, Don Husereau, MSc, BScPharm, Mirjana Huić, MD, PhD, Michael Drummond, DPhil, MCom, BSc, Marc L. Berger, MD, Kenneth Bond, MA, Federico Augustovski, MD, MS, PhD, Andrew Booth, PhD, John F.P. Bridges, PhD, Jeremy Grimshaw, MBCHB, PhD, FRCGP, Maarten J. IJzerman, PhD, Egon Jonsson, PhD, Daniel A. Ollendorf, PhD, Alric Rüther, Dr. med., Uwe Siebert, MD, MPH, MSc, ScD, Jitendar Sharma, PhD, Allan Wailoo, PhD, MSc, MA. Identifying the Need for Good Practices in Health Technology Assessment: Summary of the ISPOR HTA Council Working Group Report on Good Practices in HTA. Value in Health, January 2019, 22(1,):13–20.

December 4, 2018

Does modern stem cell research make us healthy and immortal? How can the aging of vessels be delayed? And what is the legal framework for reproductive medicine in Austria? Experts from the Tyrolean universities presented selected questions of the Life & Health Science Cluster Tyrol in a press conference.

Anfang Dezember tagten in Innsbruck die im Bereich der Lebens- und Gesundheitswissenschaften in Tirol tätigen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler. Sie haben sich vor kurzem im Life & Health Science Cluster Tirol zusammengeschlossen, um wichtige Fragen der Zukunft gemeinsam zu erforschen. Die modernen Life & Health Sciences sind Kernthema und Kernkompetenz der Medizinischen Universität Innsbruck, wie Rektor W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker in der Pressekonferenz betonte. „Mit Stichtag von gestern forschen an der Medizinischen Universität Innsbruck 1.247 Wissenschafterinnen und Wissenschafter. Der Cluster ist für uns besonders wichtig, denn Kooperation ist ein Erfolgsfaktor der modernen Wissenschaft.“

Mehr als 200 Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aus neun Hochschulen - neben den acht Tiroler Hochschulen ist auch die Fachhochschule Vorarlberg im Cluster vertreten - aus dem Bereich der Grundlagenforschung, über angewandte Forschung und Klinik bis zur Nachsorge, Ethik und Recht sind darin vernetzt. „Die Tiroler Hochschulkonferenz, ein Zusammenschluss aller Tiroler Hochschulen, hat alle Forscherinnen und Forscher der Tiroler Hochschulen im Bereich der Lebens- und Gesundheitswissenschaften eingeladen, eine gemeinsame Initiative zur Stärkung des Standorts Tirol in Forschung und Lehre auf den Weg zu bringen“, sagt der Vorsitzende der Tiroler Hochschulkonferenz, Rektor Tilmann Märk. „Daraus ist der Life & Health Science Cluster Tirol entstanden, der die Aktivitäten in Tirol koordiniert und bündelt und in Zukunft die zentrale Anlaufstelle im Bereich Lebens- und Gesundheitswissenschaften in Tirol sein wird.“

October 30, 2018

UMIT supports the Krakow Declaration on Iodine

An article recently published by the EUthyroid consortium in the European Thyroid Journal summarizes the recommendations of the Krakow Declaration on Iodine. Iodine is an essential micronutrient that is required for the production of thyroid hormones. During pregnancy, iodine is important for the development of the fetal brain. With this declaration, EUthyroid urges policy makers, public health officials and scientists to implement effective strategies to prevent iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) across Europe.

The EUthyroid consortium initiated a multi-stakeholder approach to address and involve various decision makers and stakeholders. The Krakow Declaration was developed under the umbrella of the Horizon2020 Research and Innovation action EUthyroid (Project ID: 634453).

Named "The Krakow Declaration" for the city in which the declaration was signed, this international document has already been signed by more than 280 individuals and 65 organizations. All those interested in the issue may continue to add their signatures on the following website: https://www.iodinedeclaration.eu.

The Krakow Declaration makes the following recommendations:

Methods of IDD Prevention: Regulators and policymakers should harmonize obligatory universal salt iodization to ensure free trade of fortified foodstuffs in Europe.
Control of IDD Prevention: National governments and public health authorities have to perform harmonized monitoring and evaluation of fortification programmes at regular intervals to ensure optimal iodine supply for the population.
Support for IDD Prevention: Scientists, together with public healthcare workers, patient organizations, industry and the public, should support measures necessary to ensure that IDD prevention programmes are sustainable.

The project coordinator Monika Schaffner believes this declaration will be key to improving the health of the European population, saying, “We hope that the Krakow Declaration will support policy makers throughout Europe as they implement evidence-based public health interventions for the prevention of iodine deficiency and its consequences. Therefore, the collaboration of researchers and other stakeholders across Europe is essential.”

UMIT Assistant Professor Ursula Rochau pointed out that iodine deficiency is a public health threat that has been known for a long time but has been nearly forgotten in modern healthcare. “It is important to combine European scientific knowledge and political forces to ensure adequate iodine supply for the European population,” says Rochau.

Professor Uwe Siebert, Chair of the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT, adds, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this important public health topic within the EUthyroid Consortium. From a European perspective, it is important to harmonize research in the field of iodine deficiency and to improve the monitoring of iodine deficiency disorders in Europe. UMIT contributes to this project by providing information on benefits, harms and costs of prevention programs for iodine deficiency disorders.”

Researchers at UMIT evaluated the long-term effectiveness and cost effectiveness of prevention programmes for iodine deficiency disorders and by identifying barriers against national and international prevention programmes for iodine deficiency disorders. UMIT supports the Krakow Declaration on Iodine to ensure the eradication of iodine deficiency disorders throughout Europe.

About EUthyroid

EUthyroid comprises 31 partners from 27 countries and with a budget of € 3 million will make a significant contribution to analysing the status quo of iodine deficiency prevention measures in Europe. The research consortium ‘EUthyroid - Towards a EUthyroid Europe’ (# 634453) was one of only 67 successfully funded research proposals, out of nearly 2,200 submitted, in the first call of the new Framework Programme of the European Commission: Horizon2020. www.euthyroid.eu

Contact: Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, public-health@umit.at, Tel.: +43-50-8648-3930

January 31, 2018

Landeck becomes pilot region for diabetes study of Tyrol

Im Rahmen der Diabetes-Landeck-Studie wird erstmals in einer Region in Österreich die Versorgungsstruktur von Diabetes Mellitus vollständig erhoben. Im Rahmen eines Kick-Off Meetings, zu dem alle niedergelassenen Ärzte des Bezirkes Landeck eingeladen waren, fiel jetzt der Startschuss für diese Studie, die von Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Oberaigner vom UMIT-Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und HTA im Auftrag des Landes Tirol verantwortlich geleitet wird.

Erklärtes Ziel der Diabetes Landeck-Studie ist es über einen Zeitraum von drei Jahren ein lückenloses Register mit allen Patienten mit Diabetes Mellitus aufzubauen und damit die Versorgungsstruktur im Bezirk Landeck vollständig abzubilden. „Das Diabetes-Register-Landeck ist dann in der Folge eine qualitativ hochwertige Datengrundlage für gesundheitspolitische Entscheidungsprozesse und für die Planung und Steuerung einer kosteneffektiven Versorgung von Diabetes-Patienten in ganz Tirol“, erklärte Studienleiter Wilhelm Oberaigner von der Tiroler Privatuniversität UMIT. Wesentlich für eine erfolgreiche Durchführung der Studie ist die enge Kooperation mit allen Hausärzten und niedergelassenen Internisten im Bezirk. Dr. Hans-Robert Schönherr ist der verantwortliche Prüfarzt und sein über lange Jahre aufgebautes Netzwerk ist ein Garant für den Erfolg der Studie.

Für den Tiroler Gesundheitslandesrat Bernhard Tilg, der die Studie in Auftrag gegeben hat, sollen die aus der Studie gewonnenen Ergebnisse primär dazu dienen, die Betreuung der Patienten mit Diabetes Mellitus in Tirol umfassend zu beurteilen. Darauf aufbauend können die zuständigen Stellen im Land das Konzept für die Versorgung der Diabetes-Patienten optimieren. „Mit den gewonnenen Daten aus der Diabetes-Studie-Landeck können wir gesicherte, nachvollziehbare, verantwortungsbewusste und gut informierte Entscheidungen in diesem relevanten Bereich des Gesundheitssystems treffen. Wir können zu einer verbesserten Betreuung der Diabetes Mellitus Patienten beitragen, Risikofaktoren und Komplikationen vermindern und die Lebensqualität der Patienten im ganzen Land erhöhen“, sagte der Landesrat zur Diabetes-Studie-Landeck.

Die Diabetes-Landeck-Studie ist ein weiterer Baustein für die Umsetzung des Projektes „DiabCare Tirol“, das in der Pilotregion Landeck mit Hilfe der Telemedizin und in enger Kooperation mit dem Bezirkskrankenhaus Zams, mit den Tirol Kliniken, mit der Tiroler Gebietskrankenkasse, dem Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) und der Tiroler Privatuniversität UMIT ein engmaschiges Versorgungsnetz für Diabetespatienten aufbauen will.

Diabetes Mellitus – umgangssprachlich auch Zuckerkrankheit genannt - ist eine chronische Stoffwechselerkrankung, die durch einen erhöhten Blutzuckerspiegel gekennzeichnet ist. Schätzungen gehen davon aus, dass zwischen sieben und acht Prozent der Bevölkerung an Diabetes leiden, die Tendenz ist steigend. Im Diabetesregister Tirol des Institutes für klinische Epidemiologie der Tirol Kliniken GmbH sind derzeit 1300 Diabetes-Patienten mit Wohnbezirk Landeck registriert, die hauptsächlich vom Krankenhaus Zams betreut werden.

Bildunterschrift: Studienleiter Wilhelm Oberaigner, UMIT-Rektorin Sabine Schindler, Gesundheitslandesrat Bernhard Tilg und der Leiter der Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin Herbert Tilg stellten die Diabetes-Landeck-Studie vor. (Foto UMIT).

October 30, 2017

UMIT Professor Uwe Siebert receives SMDM Award and becomes SMDM President

At the 39^th Annual Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, Professor Uwe Siebert received the SMDM Award for Distinguished Service and was inaugurated as 2017-2018 SMDM President.

SMDM seeks to improve the health of individuals and populations through systematic and integrated approaches to clinical decision making and health care policy formulation by connecting and educating researchers, providers, policy-makers and the public.

Professor John B. Wong (Tufts University, Boston), the Chair of the Awards Committee, presented the Distinguished Service Award to Uwe Siebert recognizing his exceptional efforts and leadership in advancing the scientific and educational activities of the Society.

During his acceptance speech, Professor Siebert said: “I am truly humbled and honored to receive this prestigious award. I see this award also as recognition for the many societal members who have influenced my path and helped shape my research and educational efforts.”

During the same conference, outgoing President Angie Fagerlin (University of Utah, Salt Lake City) handed over the symbolic SMDM gavel to Uwe Siebert, as he becomes the 39^th President of SMDM.

Speaking of his plans for SMDM during his presidency, he said: “I would like to combine our Society’s expertise in analytical evaluation methods and patient-shared decision making to facilitate the translation of our research into useful information for patients, providers and policy makers.”

To further pursue SMDM’s goal to foster and promote international exchange and synergies between health care decision making scholars from different countries, he added: “Having lived and worked in South America, West Africa, Europe and North America, I also find it very important to expand our existing educational efforts by developing mobile and web-based educational programs to reach and meet those who are unable to attend our conferences and to learn from their experience.”

UMIT Rector Professor Sabine Schindler expressed her congratulations: “This award recognizes Uwe Siebert’s outstanding contribution to health decision science through his research, teaching and leadership service. We are proud that he will serve as President of SMDM and continue interdisciplinary activities to promote rational and evidence-based medical decision making.”

March 31, 2017

Results of a collaborative study at Campus Tyrol argue in favor of a personalized prostate cancer screening approach

A simulation study published in BMC Public Health by researchers of the Tyrolean Health and Life Sciences University UMIT, the ONCOTYROL Center, the Medical University of Innsbruck and the University of Toronto highlights optimized use of prostate cancer screening.

“Like most medical procedures also screening harbors benefits and risks. This topic gains increasing attention by the public” explains Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, Chair of the Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment at UMIT and President-Elect of the Society for Medical Decision Making. “A major risk of prostate cancer screening is overdiagnosis and overtreatment. This refers to the diagnosis and unnecessary treatment of clinically irrelevant tumors, which would not cause any complaints during men’s lifetime and remain undetected without screening. But not infrequently, the treatment itself causes long-term complications such as erectile dysfunction, incontinence and bowel dysfunction.”

The simulation model developed within a ONCOTYROL research project for personalized medicine simulates the positive and negative effects of screening on the duration and quality of life of screening participants and analyses under which circumstances the potential harms of screening outweigh the potential benefits. Project Coordinator Ass.-Prof. Dr. Nikolai Mühlberger summarizes the study findings as follows: “Our study results suggests that screening reduces the risk of prostate cancer death and gains additional lifetime. However, when quality-of-life is considered as well, primarily men with elevated familial risk of prostate cancer benefit from screening, while in men with average prostate cancer risk overall the harms of screening prevail. Additionally, our simulation indicates that the benefit of screening in men with elevated familial risk also strongly depends on their individual valuation of treatment-related long-term side-effects.”

The urological experts in the research team, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Horninger and Prof. Dr. Helmut Klocker, see the study as an important contribution towards a targeted application of prostate cancer screening. Horninger, Dean of the Department of Urology at the Medical University of Innsbruck explains: „The study highlights the problem of overdiagnosis and illustrates the dependency of screening benefits on individual risk factors and preferences. Thus, it contributes to the improvement of patient counseling and supports an individual use of screening examinations, which all of us consider as important topics.”

Please contact: Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, public-health@umit.at,
Tel.: +43-50-8648-3930

Weiterbildung im Bereich Open Innovation in Science

Am Freitag, den 21.04.2017 war die Abschlussfeier für die erste Weiterbildung im Bereich Open Innovation in Science. Wir gratulieren herzlich unserer Mitarbeiterin Ass.-Prof. MMag. Dr. Elisabeth Nöhammer zum erfolgreichen Abschluss.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie HIER

LOIS - Closing Event Celebration of Openness

The LBG celebrated the completion of its pioneer training program LOIS – Lab for Open Innovation in Science at k47. LOIS faculty and participants shared their experiences and provided insight into the uniqueness of the program.

State Secretary Harald Mahrer, Markus Nordberg of CERN, Ulrike Schmidt of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry and Marion Poetz, Scientific Director of the LOIS were among the special guests.

The next LOIS will start in May 2018 – more info soon at: ois.lbg.ac.at!

January 25, 2016

Joint Action Programme EUnetHTA - Joint Action 3 (2016-2019)

Das Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und Health Technology Assessment (IPH) der UMIT nimmt im Rahmen der Joint Action Programme der Europäischen Union (EU) am European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) Joint Action 3 (JA3) teil (2016-2019). Joint Action Programme der EU unterscheiden sich von anderen von der EU geförderten Projekten. Es handelt sich hier um eine länderübergreifende Zusammenarbeit der Mitgliedstaaten, bei der die teilnehmenden Partnerinstitutionen von den entsprechenden Behörden der Mitgliedstaaten ernannt werden müssen.

Die UMIT wurde vom Bundesministerium für Gesundheit in Österreich für diese JA3 benannt. Das IPH hat bereits an Joint Action 1 (2010-2012) und an Joint Action 2 (2012-2015) teilgenommen und war dort maßgeblich an der Weiterentwicklung der Berichtsstruktur des EUnetHTA HTA Core ® Model und der Methodik der Erstellung von HTA-Berichten beteiligt. „In dieser JA3“, erklärt Dr. Petra Schnell-Inderst, die Leiterin der Arbeitsgruppe Health Technology Assessment am Institut, „wird das IPH an Arbeitspaketen zur gemeinsamen Produktion von HTA-Berichten durch mehrere EU-Länder und zu wissenschaftlichen Werkzeugen mitarbeiten.“ „Wir freuen uns, nun bereits in der dritten Phase maßgeblich an der Joint Action dieses wichtigen europäischen Netzwerks mitzuwirken, und damit zu qualitativ hochwertigen Standards, besser informierten Entscheidungen und einer effizienteren Nutzung der HTA-Ressourcen im europäischen Gesundheitssystem beitragen zu können“, fügt Departmentleiter Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert hinzu.

Weblinks: EUnetHTA: http://www.eunethta.eu EUnetHTA HTA Core ® Model:
(http://eunethta.eu/sites/5026.fedimbo.belgium.be/files/HTACoreModel3.0.pdf)

Methodik der Erstellung von HTA-Berichten (Methodenleitlinie für Medizinprodukte):
http://www.eunethta.eu/outputs/wp7-sg3-therapeutic-medical-devices-guideline

September 26-27, 2016
International Conference "Healthcare in Europe - A Safe Haven?

In Kooperation und mit Unterstützung der Medizinischen Universität Innsbruck + 'ethucation' (MUI), der Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck (LFUI), dem Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) sowie der European Association of Health Law (EAHL) organisieren Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni und Verena Stühlinger vom Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und HTA (UMIT) eine internationale Konferenz in Innsbruck zum Thema "Healthcare in Europe - a safe haven? 'Standard of care' from a multidisciplinary perspective".

Mit international ausgewiesenen Expertinnen und Experten aus unterschiedlichen Fachrichtungen soll über Standards in der Gesundheitsversorgung und Fragen des Zugangs zu Gesundheitsdienstleistungen in Europa diskutiert werden. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Herbert Tilg (Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin I, Innsbruck inneremed1.tirol-kliniken.at/page.cfm?vpath=index) wird zum Thema "Choosing wisely: Über- und Unterversorgung als Herausforderungen moderner Medizin" sprechen. Dr. Ineta Ziemele, von 2005-2015 Richterin am Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte (www.echr.coe.int), wird über den Zugang zu Gesundheitsdienstleistungen vor dem Hintergrund der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention sprechen.

Call for papers: bis zum 15. Mai 2016 können Abstracts für Präsentationen eingereicht werden. Nähere Informationen dazu finden sich am Konferenz-Flyer unter: http://standardofcare2016innsbruck.mci.edu/data/images/160302_Einladungsflyer_V3.pdf

March 15, 2016

inaugural lecture Univ.-Prof. Dr. Harald Stummer

Univ. Prof. Dr. Harald Stummer systematisierte in seiner Antrittsvorlesung am 15.3. Herausforderungen im Gesundheitswesen. Fragen des Systems und der Berufsgruppenzuständigkeiten wurden ebenfalls thematisiert wie auch ärtzliches und Patientenverhalten. Etwas über 60 Interessierte, darunter auch u.a. Ärztekammerpräsident Dr. Artur Wechselberger (siehe Foto) disktutierten auch im Anschluss der Veranstaltung noch bis in die Nacht hinein. Präsident Wechselberger kommentierte die Veranstaltung mit "Prof. Dr. Stummer hat in seiner Antrittsvorlesung einen breiten Überblick über die Problemstellung der Gesundheitsversorgung in Österreich gegeben. Besonders interessant waren seine Ansätze für zukunftsträchtige Lösungen abseits der stereotypen und hemmenden Kostendiskussionen."

October 9, 2015

Ass.-Prof PD Dr. Boese O'Reilly in the PBS NewsHour in the US: Extracting gold with mercury exacts a lethal toll

In Indonesia, the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining has tragic health consequences for those living near mining operations. Toxic plumes and other forms of exposure cause neurological problems, bone deformities, vision loss, deafness and even death. The NewsHour's P.J. Tobia reports in collaboration with photographer Larry C. Price and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting about the work of UMIT Ass-Prof. PD Dr. Stephan Boese O'Reilly [PBS NewsHour October 9, 2015, 6:30pm EDT].

See Video at: www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/extracting-gold-mercury-exacts-lethal-toll/

April 22-25, 2015

Internationaler Zertifikatskurs bildet HTA-Experten aus

Mit dem zukunftsweisenden Forschungsfeld des Health Technology Assessments, kurz HTA, setzten sich die Teilnehmer eines Zertifikatskurses an der UMIT – Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik in Hall in Tirol auseinander. Der Kurs „Introduction to Health Technology Assessment“ ist Teil des in Europa einzigartigen „International Continuing Education Program in HTA & Decision Science (HTADS)“, das aus fünf separat belegbaren Zertifikatskursen und dem internationalen englischsprachigen Doktoratsprogramm in HTA besteht.

23 Interessierte aus 9 Ländern tauchten in die Grundlagen und Methoden des Health Technology Assessments ein – einem Prozess zur systematischen Bewertung von medizinischen Technologien, Prozeduren, Hilfsmitteln oder Organisationsstrukturen, der evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen zu gesundheitsspezifischen Interventionen formuliert. Untersucht werden dabei Kriterien wie Wirksamkeit, Sicherheit und Kosten, jeweils unter Berücksichtigung sozialer, rechtlicher, wirtschaftlicher und ethischer Aspekte.

Das internationale Kurspublikum – die Teilnehmer stammten aus Österreich, Deutschland, Schweiz, Bulgarien, Serbien, Litauen, Albanien, Mazedonien und den USA – vertiefte sein Wissen mithilfe hochkarätig besetzter Vorträge, Fallanalysen, interaktiver Diskussionen und angewandter Computersessions.

January 30, 2015

Sekundärdatenforschung in Tirol erhält Fördermittel aus dem TWF

Anlässlich der Vergabe der Fördermittel des „Tiroler Wissenschaftsfonds 2014“ fand am Freitag, den 30.01.2015, an der Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Innsbruck im Kaiser-Leopold-Saal ein Festakt statt, bei dem die heuer erfolgreichen Fördernehmer/innen von Landesrat Bernhard Tilg ihre Förderurkunden überreicht bekamen. Die erfolgreichen UMIT-Antragsteller wurden von Frau Rektorin Prof. Dr. Sabine Schindler anmoderiert und kurz vorgestellt.

Frau Assist.-Prof. Dr. Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni erhielt TWF-Fördermittel für die explorative Studie in Tirol "Ethische und Rechtliche Herausforderungen in der stationären Altenpflege". Der vorliegende interdisziplinäre Projektantrag ist in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Department für Pflegewissenschaft und Gerontologie, Institut für Pflegewissenschaft (Ass. Prof. Dr. Daniela Deufert) entstanden und spiegelt den interdisziplinären Charakter des Forschungsvorhabens wider. Durch das Projektteam kann einerseits das notwendige Fachwissen und die methodische Kompetenz, die für ein erfolgreiches Erarbeiten des Forschungsziels notwendig ist, abgedeckt werden. Andererseits reflektiert das Team auch den interdisziplinären Ansatz, der der Themenstellung selbst immanent ist.

Herr Dipl.-Komm.wirt Dr. med. Holger Gothe, stellv. Vorstand des Departments für Public Health und HTA, erhielt TWF-Fördermittel für die gesundheitsökonomische Evaluation des Stroke-Card-Projekts der Medizinischen Universität Innsbruck anhand von Routinedaten der TGKK. Unmittelbar nach der Entgegennahme der Urkunde zeigte sich Dr. Gothe hoch erfreut: "Ich bin sehr froh, dass mit dieser TWF-Förderung die Sekundärdatenforschung in Tirol eine erste Anerkennung erfährt."

Frau Assist.-Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Nöhammer erhielt TWF-Fördermittel für das Projekt "Steuerung von beruflichen E-Mails außerhalb der Arbeitszeiten". Laut Frau Dr. Nöhammer vereinfachen zwar E-Mails den Arbeitsalltag, sie können aber auch zur Belastung werden. Viele Arbeitnehmer/innen bearbeiten berufliche E-Mails auch außerhalb der Arbeitszeit - warum und welche Steuerungsmöglichkeiten hilfreich wären, soll in ihrem Projekt untersucht werden.

Fotonachweis: Christian Wucherer

Continuing Education Program on Health Technology Assessment and Decision Science (HTADS)

The international Continuing Education Program on HTADS is designed to provide excellent quality education and comprehensive training in the key issues of Health Technology Assessment and Decision Science for anyone involved in the health sector. Currently the HTADS Continuing Education Program comprises a Doctoral Program in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and four certified courses.

The following certified courses take place regularly:

M1 - Winter School in Clinical Epidemiology
M2 - Introduction to Health Technology Assessment
M3 - Modeling Approaches for HTA: A Practical Hands-on Workshop
M4 - Causal Inference in Observational Studies and Clinical Trials Affected by Treatment Switching: A Practical hands-on Workshop

For further information about the content of each program and on specific dates, please visit our HTADS website: http://www.umit.at/htads

July 25, 2014

Internationale Auszeichnung für Entscheidungsanalyse geht an Tirolerin

Zum ersten Mal wurde eine Tiroler Forscherin mit dem renommierten „Lee B. Lusted Award for Outstanding Presentation“ ausgezeichnet. Aus mehr als 130 Einreichungen ging der Studierendenbeitrag von UMIT-Mitarbeiterin Christina Kurzthaler, MSc, auf der europäischen Tagung der Society of Medical Decision Making (SMDM) in Antwerpen als Sieger hervor.

Ihre statistisch-mathematische Arbeit im Bereich Entscheidungsanalyse / Health Technology Assessment (HTA) trug den Titel: “Combining Markov states: A comparison of analytical and heuristic methods for deriving the hazard rates of a collapsed Markov state.” Thema der Präsentation war der methodische Vergleich analytischer und heuristischer Methoden zur Beschreibung klinisch relevanter Zustände und ihrer exakten Formulierung in einem entscheidungsanalytischen Modell für Hepatitis C, welches am Institut für Public Health, Medical Decision Making und HTA der UMIT – Private Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik entwickelt wurde.

Die Preisträgerin zeigte sich in einer ersten Stellungnahme überglücklich: „Ich freue mich sehr über den Preis und bin stolz darauf, dass ein methodisches Thema damit ausgezeichnet wurde. Besonders anregend waren die Diskussionen mit dem multidisziplinären Projektteam und nun bin schon gespannt auf den SMDM-Kongress in Miami, zu dem ich anlässlich meines Preises eingeladen wurde.“
„Nach der Auszeichnung auf der internationalen HTAi-Tagung ist dies bereits der zweite Preis für ein „best paper“ auf einer internationalen Tagung, der in diesem Jahr an Mitarbeiterinnen des Departments für Public Health und HTA an der UMIT geht“, freut sich auch Departmentleiter Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc ,ScD, über die internationale Anerkennung, die seinem Forscherteam zuteil wird.

July 12, 2014

Biomarker kritisch betrachtet – Preis für heimische Forscher

Internationale Anerkennung wurde vor kurzem einem Tiroler Forscherteam zuteil, das der UMIT – Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik in Hall in Tirol, dem Oncotyrol-Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine in Innsbruck, und dem Center for Health Decision Science der Harvard School of Public Health, USA, angehört.

Auf dem größten internationalen Kongress für Health Technology Assessment, der HTAi in Washington, D.C., wurde das Poster der Gruppe mit dem ersten Preis für hervorragende wissenschaftliche Forschungsleistung ausgezeichnet. Die Arbeit mit dem Titel “Systematic Review of the Clinical Effectiveness of Biomarkers as Cancer Screening Test Offered as Self-Pay Healthcare Service” beschäftigt sich mit dem Patientennutzen von individuell zu bezahlenden Vorsorgeuntersuchungen im Krebsbereich.

Die Autoren – Agnes Luzak, Petra Schnell-Inderst, Stefanie Bühn, Anja Mayer-Zitarosa und Uwe Siebert – zogen in ihrer vergleichenden Studie teils beunruhigende Schlüsse. „Das gesteigerte Interesse an individuellen Gesundheitsleistungen (IGeL) führt oft zur Anwendung von Biomarker-Tests ohne notwendige medizinische Indikation. Dabei kommen immer wieder falsch-positive Resultate vor, die zu fehlerhafter Diagnose und Behandlung führen und dadurch dem Patienten/der Patientin mehr schaden als nutzen“, fasst Dr. Petra Schnell-Inderst zusammen, die den Preis stellvertretend für die Autorengruppen entgegennahm. Daher lautet die Empfehlung der Forschergruppe an mündige Patienten, „nicht wahllos Screenings und Labortests in Anspruch zu nehmen, sondern zuerst umfassende Informationen über den erwiesenen Nutzen und die Unsicherheiten der Testergebnisse für Biomarker einzuholen.“ ergänzt Prof. Dr. Uwe Siebert.

April 7, 2014

Internationaler Zertifikatskurs bildet HTA-Experten aus

Vom 2. bis 5.April 2014 tauchten 30 Interessierte aus elf Ländern in die Grundlagen und Methoden des Health Technology Assessments ein – einem Prozess zur systematischen Bewertung von medizinischen Technologien, Prozeduren, Hilfsmitteln oder Organisationsstrukturen, der evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen zu gesundheitsspezifischen Interventionen formuliert. Untersucht werden dabei Kriterien wie Wirksamkeit, Sicherheit und Kosten, jeweils unter Berücksichtigung sozialer, rechtlicher, wirtschaftlicher und ethischer Aspekte.

Das internationale Kurspublikum – die Teilnehmer stammten aus Österreich, Deutschland, Schweiz, Belgien, Bulgarien, Rumänien, Frankreich, Serbien, Albanien, Mazedonien und Indien – vertiefte sein Wissen mithilfe hochkarätig besetzter Vorträge, Fallanalysen, interaktiver Diskussionen und angewandter Computersessions.

Infos über dieses in Europa einzigartige Programm finden sich unter: www.umit.at/htads

March 31, 2014

UMIT-Forscher präsentieren Screening-Modell beim Kongress für Evidenbasierte Medizin

Zur 15. Jahrestagung des Deutschen Netzwerks für Evidenzbasierte Medizin versammelten sich Mitte März rund 350 EbM-Interessierte in Halle an der Saale, um sich mit dem Schwerpunktthema „Prävention zwischen Evidenz und Eminenz“ zu befassen. Mit dabei waren auch zwei Forscher des Departments für Public Health und HTA der UMIT, die beim Symposium die internationale Fachwelt begeisterten.

In der offiziellen Pressemeldung hieß es dazu: „Uwe Siebert und Gaby Sroczynski von der Universität Hall in Tirol spielten anhand einer Modellrechnung 18 verschiedene Strategien zur Gebärmutterhalsfrüherkennung durch. Auf diese hohe Zahl an Varianten kamen sie spielend, indem sie die beiden Untersuchungen Pap-Test und HPV-Test mit verschiedenen Startzeitpunkten und Screeningintervallen kombinierten. Die HPV-Impfung als weitere relevante Größe berücksichtigten sie dabei noch nicht einmal. Das Ergebnis der Modellrechnungen: Das derzeit in Deutschland angebotene Screening mit jährlichem Pap-Test ab 20 Jahren schnitt deutlich schlechter ab als viele andere Strategien. […] Siebert wies jedoch auf die vielen Unsicherheiten hin, die dem Modell zugrunde lägen. Immerhin erlaube ihre Berechnungen die Aussage, welche Strategie sich intensiver zu erforschen lohne.“
Zur gesamten Kongress-Nachlese geht’s hier.

February 2, 2014

Winter School in Clinical Epidemiology with international audience

Internationally well known Professor Albert Hofman (Chair, Dept. of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Center Rotterdam) and Professor Uwe Siebert (Chair, Dept. of Public Health and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT) teached theoretical prinicples of clinicial epidemiology and their application in modern health care research to an international audience.

12 students from the ERAWEB academic exchange program welcomed the chance to learn more about Epidemiology.

Archive of Selected Events

Prof. Dr. Daniela Schmid supports Department of Public Health

Landeck becomes pilot region for diabetes study of Tyrol

Im Rahmen der Studie wird erstmals in einer Region in Österreich die Versorgungsstruktur von Diabetes Mellitus vollständig erhoben.

Konferenz ”healthcare in europe - a safe haven?"

Konferenz ”healthcare in europe - a safe haven? standard of care from a multidisciplinary perspective” findet starke nationale und internationale Resonanz. Mehr erfahren

Public Health, Health Services Research and HTA

News & Highlights

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RECETAS Website is online!

-------------------------------- June 11, 2021

June 07, 2021

April 24, 2021

November 24, 2020

Prof. Dr. Daniela Schmid supports Department of Public Health

Presentation of the full HTADS certificate to Prof. Myeong Soo Lee

EUREGIO-Project „Environment, Food and Health (EUREGIO-EFH)"

Leading international scientists publish report on scientific technology assessment as a basis for health care decisions

Landeck becomes pilot region for diabetes study of Tyrol

UMIT Professor Uwe Siebert receives SMDM Award and becomes SMDM President

Results of a collaborative study at Campus Tyrol argue in favor of a personalized prostate cancer screening approach

Weiterbildung im Bereich Open Innovation in Science

The next LOIS will start in May 2018 – more info soon at: ois.lbg.ac.at!

January 25, 2016

Joint Action Programme EUnetHTA - Joint Action 3 (2016-2019)

September 26-27, 2016 International Conference "Healthcare in Europe - A Safe Haven?

March 15, 2016

inaugural lecture Univ.-Prof. Dr. Harald Stummer

October 9, 2015

Ass.-Prof PD Dr. Boese O'Reilly in the PBS NewsHour in the US: Extracting gold with mercury exacts a lethal toll

April 22-25, 2015

Internationaler Zertifikatskurs bildet HTA-Experten aus

January 30, 2015

Sekundärdatenforschung in Tirol erhält Fördermittel aus dem TWF

July 25, 2014

Internationale Auszeichnung für Entscheidungsanalyse geht an Tirolerin

July 12, 2014

Biomarker kritisch betrachtet – Preis für heimische Forscher

April 7, 2014

Internationaler Zertifikatskurs bildet HTA-Experten aus

March 31, 2014

UMIT-Forscher präsentieren Screening-Modell beim Kongress für Evidenbasierte Medizin

February 2, 2014

Winter School in Clinical Epidemiology with international audience

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June 11, 2021

September 26-27, 2016
International Conference "Healthcare in Europe - A Safe Haven?