Academic Year/course:
2022/23
557 - Master's in General Sanitary Psychology
61865 - Evidence-based treatments in health problems
Syllabus Information
Academic Year:
2022/23
Subject:
61865 - Evidence-based treatments in health problems
Faculty / School:
301 - Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas
Degree:
557 - Master's in General Sanitary Psychology
ECTS:
4.0
Year:
1
Semester:
First semester
Subject Type:
Compulsory
Module:
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1.1. Aims of the course
The subject and its expected results respond to the following approaches and objectives:
The main objective of this compulsory subject is for students to develop a comprehensive conception of health. To this day, contributing from Psychology to the understanding and treatment of diseases (both physical and mental) has been a fundamental objective, no less important is its role in research and intervention, increasingly growing and powerful, in the field of prevention and health promotion; in short, the integral well-being of the person, as well as the enhancement of his strengths and capacities, these being increasingly the object of research and application in intervention models complementary to the traditional ones.
In addition, it is intended that students develop a professional approach based on procedures supported by empirical evidence. Evidence-based professional practice is considered an irreversible path, although it is still not exempt from difficulties and discrepancies to be resolved that the future General Health Psychologist must know and value. Equally relevant is that in your professional future you know what are the sources of said evidence and the scientific criteria to take into account in the validation of a procedure.
This evidence-based approach to psychology does not respond at this time only to a progressive boom over the last decades but to a legal requirement contemplated in article 4.7b of Law 44/2003 on the Regulation of Health Professions, in which it is indicated that the performance of the healthcare professional "will be based on scientific evidence and available means and supported by guidelines and protocols for clinical and care practice".
Thus, the standardization of intervention protocols is giving rise to practical intervention guides. Along these lines, the National Health System defines the Clinical Practice Guidelines as the “set of recommendations based on a systematic review of the evidence and on the evaluation of the risks and benefits of the different alternatives, with the aim of optimizing care healthcare to patients ”. There are several sources that provide standardized guides in the field of mental health, coming from health organizations, government agencies, professionals in the field, etc. (eg the APA, the National Health System, WHO), which must be known and learned to manage.
These approaches and objectives are aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/), in such a way that the acquisition of the learning results of the subject provides training and competence to contribute to some extent to its achievement:
Objective 3: Health and well-being.
Objective 4: Quality education.
Objective 5: Gender equality.
Objective 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions.
Objectives 17: Partnerships to achieve the objectives.
1.2. Context and importance of this course in the degree
The compulsory subject "Empirically validated treatments in health" is aimed at the identity and training of the General Health Psychologist as a scientist, both with regard to their competence to critically assess the quality of the literature and scientific evidence in their area of work, regarding basic and applied research, as well as the competence for the design, development and dissemination of their own research, in the line of providing empirical evidence to their professional actions.
Students will receive detailed training on the current and most up-to-date action protocols regarding the most prevalent pathologies in health and/or population health aspects.
1.3. Recommendations to take this course
There are no prerequisites to enrol in this subject.
It will be easier for students who have previous knowledge of any of the subjects of the Degree related to Clinical and Health Psychology, and/or Social Health Psychology or the optional subject "Research in Psychopathology", as well as all those subjects related to prevention and health promotion.
On the other hand, the knowledge of English reading, computer skills, Internet management, operation of the bibliographic resources of the university, and specialized databases in psychology will be useful.
2.1. Competences
By passing the subject, the student will be more competent to:
- Understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
- Knowing how to apply the acquired knowledge and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
- Being able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments based on information that, being incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
- Know how to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and ultimate reasons that support them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
- Have the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
- Recognize and respect human diversity and understand that psychological explanations may vary across populations and contexts.
- Show an ethical and professional commitment in relation to civic, social and global responsibilities.
- Feel interested in continuous learning, updating knowledge and continuing professional training.
- Acquire, develop and implement a comprehensive health concept, where its biopsychosocial components have a place, in accordance with the guidelines established by the WHO.
- Know how to critically analyze and use sources of clinical information.
- Know how to formulate working hypotheses in research and collect and critically assess information for problem-solving, applying the scientific method.
- Know in depth the psychological nature of human behaviour, as well as the social and biological factors that can affect it.
- Know in depth the psychosocial factors associated with health and disease problems.
- Master in depth the biological and psychosocial factors associated with health and disease problems, especially those related to ODD, learning and behaviour.
- To know the different models of evaluation and intervention in the field of General Health Psychology, as well as the techniques and procedures derived from them to address behavioural disorders and the psychological factors associated with health problems.
- Knowing how to design, develop and, where appropriate, supervise and evaluate psychological intervention plans and programs, based on the psychological evaluation and the concurrent individual and social variables in each case.
- Know how to carry out and design promotional and educational activities for individual and community psychological health.
2.2. Learning goals
The student, to pass this subject, must demonstrate the following results:
1. Basic learning outcomes (RA)
RAB1. The student applies the knowledge acquired and is capable of solving problems in multidisciplinary environments related to health psychology.
RAB2. The student knows the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of knowledge and judgments in the field of general health psychology.
RAB3. The student knows how to communicate their conclusions to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
RAB4. The student has learning skills that allow him to continue studying in an autonomous way and is original in the development and/or application of ideas in health and research contexts.
2. Specific RA:
RAE4. The student critically analyzes and uses the sources of clinical information.
RAE7. The student formulates working hypotheses in research and collects and critically evaluates the information for solving problems, applying the scientific method.
RAE12. The student knows in depth the psychological nature of human behaviour, as well as the social and biological factors that can affect it.
RAE14. The student knows in depth the psychosocial factors associated with health problems and illness.
RAE15. The student knows in depth the biological and psychosocial factors associated with health and disease problems, especially those related to mental health.
RAE16. The student knows in-depth the different evaluation and intervention models in the field of General Health Psychology, as well as the techniques and procedures derived from them to address behavioural disorders.
RAE18. The student is capable of designing, developing and, where appropriate, supervising and evaluating psychological intervention plans and programs, based on the psychological evaluation and the concurrent individual and social variables in each case.
RAE21. The student is able to carry out promotional and educational activities for individual and community psychological health.
3. Transversal RA:
RAT1. The student knows the different models of evaluation and intervention in the field of Clinical and Health Psychology.
RAT2. The student knows in depth the nature and the theoretical-explanatory frameworks of the different psychopathological, health and neuropsychological disorders.
RAT3. The student knows how to assess and integrate the involvement of the different psychological aspects in the development of psychological disorders and health problems.
RAT4. The student is able to apply the main theories in relation to the psychological components of psychological disorders and health.
RAT5. The student is able to achieve an adequate level of understanding of the recipient's demand in each situation or context of an application.
RAT6. The student is able to show a reasonable critical sense and intellectual curiosity about the factors that influence or cause psychological and health disorders.
RAT7. The student knows and adjusts to the deontological obligations of Clinical and Health Psychology.
RAT8. The student is able to recognize and accept the ambiguity and complexity of psychological problems, as well as the tentative nature of their explanations and the social context in which they occur.
RAT9. The student is able to recognize and respect human diversity and understand that psychological explanations may vary across populations and contexts.
RAT10. The student shows an ethical and professional commitment in relation to civic, social and global responsibilities.
RAT11. The student shows interest in continuous learning, updating knowledge and continuing professional training.
2.3. Importance of learning goals
The different learning outcomes achieved by the students will help them to be able to search and critically assess, with current parameters of scientific quality, the relevant literature in this area.
In addition, to know the models that represent the reference framework to know what steps to follow and what techniques to apply to achieve a change in people's health behaviors and to be able to discriminate between the existing psychological intervention alternatives for a specific case, identifying the one that has the greatest empirical support and critically evaluating its therapeutic utility, from an evidence-based practice.
They will also know how to know, discriminate and know how to apply the most useful research methods in the context of intervention in health psychology, as well as interpret the results of published research in the field of intervention in health psychology.
3. Assessment (1st and 2nd call)
3.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)
The student must demonstrate that he or she has achieved the intended learning outcomes through the following assessment activities.
1. Written test (grade from 0 to 10) at the end of the quarter. The grade will mean 40% of the final grade. The test will be a multiple-choice test.
2. Continued work in the classroom about Evidence-based treatment of health problems (grade from 0 to 10). The grade for this part of continued work will be 60% of the final grade.
The student body will be able to carry out the continuous assessment activities as long as the attendance to the classes is not less than 80% of the teaching hours of the subject.
In any case, the student body will have the right to an overall evaluation of the subject in which they will be able to opt for the highest grade.
Note: In case that, for health safety reasons, a change from in-person teaching to an in-person and online, or only online teaching is required, it will be possible to carry out several modifications in the evaluation format of the course:
1. The written test will be done by telematic means with a fixed time (e.g. via Moodle). Alumni control during the test will be carried out through the Google Meet application or other platforms approved by the University.
2. The continued work assignments will be delivered via moodle.
4. Methodology, learning tasks, syllabus and resources
4.1. Methodological overview
The methodology followed in this course is oriented towards the achievement of the learning objectives. The theoretical and practical content will be presented by the teacher in the form of questions, discussions and public expression of opinions, to reach conclusions about them.
Participation and the cooperative learning methodology will be used for problems and solving real clinical cases.
Note: In case that, for health safety reasons, a change from in-person teaching to an in-person and online, or only online teaching is required, it will be possible to conduct several modifications:
1. Classes will be adapted to telematic format.
2. Moodle will be preferably used to exchange materials and theoretical and practical explanations. Scientific articles, practical cases, PowerPoint presentations and links to diverse contents of interest will be shared.
3. Furthermore, videos with different theoretical topics with visual support will be recorded via PowerPoint presentations or online classes could be also done through Google Meet or other tools approved by the University.
4. Mentorship will be carried out via email and/or Google Meet meetings or other tools approved by the University.
4.2. Learning tasks
The course includes the following learning tasks:
- Lectures where the teacher will present the basic facts about a topic.
- Analysis of case studies where students will put into practice the concepts learned in lectures.
- Finding information and cooperative work.
- Reading articles or documents related to the content of the subject.
- Students' oral presentations.
- Viewing of audiovisual material.
4.3. Syllabus
The course will address the following topics:
Topic 1. Introduction: Holistic Health Concept.
Topic 2. Protocols in Asthma, COPD and pulmonary emphysema.
Topic 3. Protocols in Cancer.
Topic 4. Protocols in Cardiovascular Diseases.
Topic 5. Protocols in Addictions.
Topic 6. Protocols in Fibromyalgia.
Topic 7. Protocols in Endocrinology and Vascular Risk Factors.
Topic 8. Protocols in Digestive Diseases.
Topic 9. Protocols in Sleep Disorders
Topic 10. Protocols in the most prevalent Infectious and Emerging Diseases.
4.4. Course planning and calendar
Calendar of face-to-face sessions and presentation of works
It will be specified at the beginning of the subject of the academic year, as well as the content program and the recommended bibliography.
The general activities that will be carried out during the four-month period of the subject will be:
1) Presentation of the subject.
2) Definition of evaluation criteria and practical activities.
3) Delivery of the theoretical-practical contents provided.
4) Continuous assessment of student progress.
5) Delivery of material for the preparation of written works and/or oral presentations.
6) Final evaluation.
Further information concerning the timetable, classroom, assessment dates, and other details regarding this course, will be provided on the first day of class.