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2021/2022

Scientific and Professional Foundations in Health Psychology

Code: 43417 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
4314949 General Health Psychology OB 1 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Silvia Edo Izquierdo
Email:
Silvia.Edo@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)

Teachers

Cynthia Binelli Capurro
Guillermo Parra Lorenzo
Maria Belen Albizu Soriano
Jaume Vives Brosa
Lidia Arroyo Prieto

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisits

Objectives and Contextualisation

The general objective of this module is for the student to build a comprehensive health concept, in accordance with WHO guidelines. That is, knowing how psychological, biological, educational and social factors help people and communities improve its well-being, increasing its knowledge and changing attitudes.

Specific objectives are: First, helping the student to think about health concept, acquiring knowledge from different perspectives (biopsychosocial one, gender and intercultural one, and family developmental one). Secondly, become familiar with scope of action of the healthcare general psychologist, knowing regulations, quality work standards, the foundations of bioethics applied to healthcare psychology, referral criteria, and how to start entrepreneurship activities as a healthcare general psychologist. Likewise, the module will promote the development of competences in research, and selection and critical reading of relevant information for professional field.

Competences

  • Acquire, develop and put into practice a concept of integral health, including all its biopsychosocial components, in line with WHO guidelines.
  • Apply the principles of bioethics and the deliberation method to professional practice, in line with Law 44/2003, of 21 November, on organisation of the healthcare professions.
  • Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously
  • Critically analyse and use clinical information sources.
  • Formulate working hypotheses in research and critically assess information for problem-solving, using the scientific method.
  • Know healthcare personnel's duties and responsibilities regarding confidentiality and protection of patients' personal information.
  • Know in depth the psychological nature of human behaviour, and the social and biological factors that can affect it.
  • Know the activities needed to set up, launch and manage a business, and the corresponding legal, accounting and tax requirements.
  • Know the framework for the activity of general health psychologists and be able to call in the corresponding specialists.
  • Know the regulations governing healthcare in Spain.
  • Work responsibly, prioritising quality and continuous improvement, and displaying a capacity for self-criticism.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Carry out a critical reading of a scientific publication on the basis of the methodological quality of the research design used.
  2. Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously
  3. Discern the most suitable research methods and designs to respond to a hypothesis.
  4. Formulate questions, objectives and research hypotheses appropriately for problem solving in specific areas of the general health psychologist's professional activity.
  5. Gather and analyse information consistently with the research objectives and hypotheses, and interpret the results obtained appropriately, acknowledging the impact on individuals and communities.
  6. Identify and critically analyse the ethical implications of professional practice.
  7. Identify the application areas of general health psychology.
  8. Interpret appropriately the results of a systematic revision with or without meta-analysis.
  9. Know and describe the organisation of the Healthcare System and its different mechanisms, and the connections and flows of users between the systems of healthcare, education, law, security and social services.
  10. Know and integrate the different levels of analysis of human behaviour (biological, psychological, social, historical and cultural).
  11. Know the WHO guidelines.
  12. Know the biopsychosocial model: principal factors determining the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
  13. Know the different processes involved in making a business plan.
  14. Know the different regulations related to ethical practice in this profession.
  15. Know the different types of business that are appropriate for professional practice in health psychology.
  16. Know the legislation and the administrative steps needed to set up a business.
  17. Know the legislation governing healthcare.
  18. Know the legislation on data protection.
  19. Know the perspective of gender in health.
  20. Know the professional and community organisations related to the area of activity.
  21. Know the quality-management systems and rules used in healthcare.

Content

1.- Conceptual foundations of healthcare psychology.
a.- Health from the bio-psycho-social perspective.
b.- Health from the intersectional gender perspective.
c.- Health from the family developmental perspective.

2.- Professional foundations of healthcare psychology.
a.- Professional profile of the healthcare general psychologist. Framework.
b.- Scope of action of healthcare psychology. Healthcare system.
c.- Professional ethics in Psychology. Confidentiality and data protection.

3.- Organizational foundations of healthcare psychology.
a.- Legal regulations in healthcare psychology.
b.- Management and organization of healthcare system.

4.- Methodological basis in healthcare psychology.
a.- Methodological skills for a critical reading of scientific publications.
b.- Research in healthcare psychology: Efficacy, effectivness and efficiency of interventions.
c.- Systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Methodology

Different activities and methodologies will be used. There will be readings on the general frameworks: scientific, methodological, professional and organizational. On the other hand, classroom and autonomous work activities will be done: critical reading and discussion of texts, workshops, debates, bibliographic searches, work presentation and  discussion.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Conferences and classroom activities 40 1.6
Type: Supervised      
Individual and group tutorials 3 0.12
Type: Autonomous      
Course work 25 1
Exercises 20 0.8
Study and reading 60 2.4

Assessment

Final grade will be the result of:

Ev 1. Course work. Weight: 40%. Group work requiring information collection and critical analysis, centered on a specific topic of healthcare psychology. Mandatory. Virtual. 12th week.

Ev2. Synthesy test. Weight: 35%. Written exercise. Practical case resolution based on topic 3. In-person evidence. 11th week.

Ev3. Virtual mandatory test. Weight: 25%. Content: Bias risk assessment, documental search, systematic reviews and meta-analysis. 15th week.

PASS: Final grade equal to or higher than 5. There are no procedures to improve grade.

NOT ASSESSED: Students who have done evidences with a weight of less than 40% of the total will be "Not assessed."

RESIT: Students who have not reached a final grade of 5 or more, and have completed evidences with a weight of at least 2/3 of the total. The resit will consist on complementary activities or a synthesy test, according to coordinator teacher criteria. Maximum grade that can be obtained is 5.

Faculty of Psychology assessment guidelines (2020-21) will be applied: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/calendaris-1345721956986.html

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Ev1. Course work 40% 0 0 12, 9, 10, 19, 11, 4, 7, 2, 5
Ev2. Written synthesy test 35% 2 0.08 13, 21, 9, 16, 18, 14, 15, 17, 20, 7, 6
Ev3. Virtual test 25% 0 0 10, 17, 20, 3, 1, 4, 8, 2, 5

Bibliography

APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice. (2006). Evidence-based practice in psychology. American Psychologist, 61, 271-285.

Braveman, P. (2014). What is health equity: And How does a life-course approach take us further toward it? Maternal and Child Health Journal, 18, 366-372. doi: 10.1007/s10995-013-1226-9

Higgins, J. P. T., Green, S., & Cochrane Collaboration. (2008). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Chichester, England; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Liberati, A., Altman, D. G., Tetzlaff, J., Mulrow, C., Gotzsche, P. C., Ioannidis, J. P. A., … Moher, D. (2009). The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration. BMJ, 339(jul21 1), b2700–b2700. doi:10.1136/bmj.b2700

Miqueo, C. et al. (eds.) (2001) Perspectivas de género en salud. Madrid: Minerva Edicione

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med, 6(7), e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097

Myrick, A. C., Green, E. J., i Crenshaw, D. (2014). The influence of divergent parental attachment styles on adolescent maturation: Implications for family counseling practitioners. The Family Journal, 22(1), 35-42. doi: 10.1177/1066480713491217

OMS (2014). Organització Mundial de la Salut (World Health Organisation, WHO). Consultada l’abril de 2014 en http://www.who.int/en/

Padyab, M., Malmberg, G., Norberg, M, i Blomstedt, Y. (2013). Life course socieconomic position and mortality: A population register-based study form Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 41(8), Dec 2013, 785-791. Ddoi: 10.1177/1403494813493366

Portell, M. i Vives, J. (2014). Introducció als dissenys experimentals, quasiexperimentals i ex post facto. Barcelona: Servei de publicacions de la UAB.

Remschmidt, H., Belfer, M., Goodyer, I. (2004). Facilitating Pathways: care, treatment and prevention in child and adolescent mental health. Berlin: Springer.

Remschmidt, H., van Engeland, H. (1999). Child and adolescent psychiatry in Europe. Historical development, current situation, future perspectives. New YorK: Springer.

Reverte Cejudo, D. y Sánchez Bayle, M. (2009) Globalización y salud. Madrid: Ediciones GPS http://www.fadsp.org/pdf/globalizacion%20y%20salud%20(1).pdf.

Sánchez Bayle, M.  (coord.) (2010).  La situación de la salud y el sistema sanitario en España. Madrid: Fundación Primero de Mayo. http://www.fadsp.org/html/situacion%20salud.htm

Sánchez-Meca, J., & Botella, J. (2010). Revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis: herramientas para la práctica profesional. Papeles del Psicólogo, 31(1), 7–17.

Varios autores (2002). Salud y Equidad. Documentación Social: Revista de Estudios Sociales y de Sociología Aplicada, 127.

Velasco, A. (2009) Sexos, género y salud. Madrid: Minerva Ediciones.

Software

No specific software is required in this course