Moonika Raja (born 1988) is PhD student at Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences. Moonika Raja`s dissertation began as a part of the PhD program Professional Praxis in December 2019 at Nord University, now known as PhD program Science of Professions. Her dissertation is also a part of the INNOVATEDIGNITY project, which is a trans-national research network financed by the European Commission, and involves experts in nursing from across Denmark, Greece, Norway, Sweden and England. The INNOVATEDIGNITY project is a response to the necessity of providing sustainable and dignified care for older adults in Europe.
Moonika Raja holds a Bachelor of Special Education from 2011 and a Master of Speech Therapy from 2013 from University of Tartu, Estonia. She has seven years of experience working in a hospital in Department of Neurology, in both stationary and outpatient settings. She has been working with a wide range of patients with aphasia, dysarthria, stuttering and swallowing disorders. Moonika Raja has more than ten years of experience in working with older adults in institutional and outpatient settings in Estonia and Norway.
Time and place:
Monday 23 October, 2023, starts at 10:00
Only digital
Title of the dissertation:
- “Societal Digital Demands and Needs in Healthcare Services: Viewing the Dignity of Adults Aged 75 Years and Older”
Topic for the trial lecture:
“The use of person centeredness in digital innovation and how it affects older adults in a health care context.”
Short Abstract:
The overall aim of this research is to address societal digital demands and needs in healthcare services in order to view the dignity of adults aged 75 years and older.
Three subordinate aims are explored by three corresponding studies. The three studies are linked to each other in a hermeneutic circle, wherein each study deepens our understanding of societal digital demands and older adults’ needs and dignity in the context of healthcare.
The synthesized results suggest that when older adults need to use new technology and digital healthcare services, different aspects impact their dignity in both positive and negative ways. Older adults experience a sense of being lost in a digital world, and this impacts their perception of dignified ageing. Technology cannot offer the human dimension of care and each study addresses the importance of human contact in healthcare services. Older adults need someone’s help when using new technology and eHealth systems, and continues learning is necessary. Older adults have concerns about new technology violating their privacy. While new digital technology can increase older adults’ feelings of vulnerability and insecurity, integrating it into healthcare systems opens up new opportunities and gives older adults a sense of safety.
This dissertation offers new knowledge about perspectives concerning societal digital demands and needs in healthcare services and how this relates to adults aged 75 years or older and their dignity. It offers a valuable scientific contribution in that it elucidates the gaps between digital strategies and eHealth policies and older adults’ needs as users. It calls attention to important aspects to consider when implementing changes in eHealth policies the way that older adults could benefit from the systems in a dignified way. This dissertation lays a good foundation for further research. The results are relevant for policy makers, healthcare providers, older adults and their families.
References:
1A) Raja M, Bjerkan J, Kymre IG, Galvin KT, Uhrenfeldt L. The digital development within society that persons of 75 years and older in European countries have been part of: A scoping review protocol. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice. 2021a;11(6):9-15. doi:10.5430/jnep.v11n6p9
1B) Raja M, Bjerkan J, Kymre IG, Galvin KT, Uhrenfeldt L. Telehealth and digital developments in society that persons 75 years and older in European countries have been part of: a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research. 2021b;21:1157. doi:10.1186/s12913-021-07154-0
2) Raja M, Uhrenfeldt L, Galvin KT, Kymre IG. Older adults` sense of dignity in digitally led healthcare. Nursing Ethics. 2022;1-12. doi:10.1177/09697330221095140
3) Raja M, Kymre IG, Bjerkan J, Galvin KT, Uhrenfeldt L. National digital strategies and innovative eHealth policies concerning older adults` dignity: A document analysis in three Scandinavian countries. BMC Health Services Research. 2023;23:848. doi:10.1186/s12913-023-09867-w
Link to streaming of the public defense
Program for the trial lecture and the public defense:
10.00 – 11.00 Welcome and Trial lecture (lecture duration approximately 45 minutes)
Welcome by Dean Gøril Ursin
11.00 – 12.00 Lunch break
12.00 – 16.00 Public defense (Normally completed between 15.00 and 16.00):
- The candidate presents the thesis (maximum 30 minutes)
- First opponent (one hour)
- Break (15 minutes)
- Second opponent (approximately one hour)
- Opposition ex auditorio, if any.
- The committee withdraws to deliberate.
- The committee announces its conclusions.
Supervisors:
Main supervisor:
Professor Lisbeth Uhrenfeldt, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Bodø, Norway, 2016-2023; Institute of Regional Health Research, Southern Danish University, Odense, Denmark, 2023-
Co-supervisors:
Associate Professor Ingjerd Gåre Kymre, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Bodø, Norway
Associate Professor Jorunn Bjerkan, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Levanger, Norway
Professor Kathleen Galvin, School of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
Assessment committee:
First opponent: Professor Kirsti Iren Skovdahl, Høgskolen i Østfold
Second opponent: Professor Pia Dreyer, Århus universitet, Danmark.
Leader of the committee: Professor Pål Lagestad, Nord universitet
Leader of the public defense:
Dean Gøril Ursin will lead the trial lecture and the public defense.
The thesis
- Those who want an example of the thesis, can contact Synnøve Tollåli at email synnove.d.tollali@nord.no – after the public defence. Write your name and address in the email.
- The thesis is open for inspection if you come to Tollåli’s office in Bodø (Samfunnet 2nd floor/2.etg)
