ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 11 – medicine | health sciences
Quality and productivity: The group is prolific in its output of papers
in scientific journals and the PI has listed 15 papers published in English
in 2007 in major journals of geontology and occupational therapy. The
professor heading up the CASE group is the first occupational therapist
internationally to be granted a Chair in Gerontology. Many papers have
also been published in the Scandinavian journals. The external funding is
outstanding, 35.6 MSEK during the assessment period.
Relevance: Given the burgeoning number of old and very old adults
there is the need to enable them to live safely and comfortably at home as
long as possible. The societal impact of the work of this research group is
thus very high, with international cross cultural studies being conducted
into the components of homes and neighbourhoods for elderly persons
(including the very old) which support and sustain their everyday living
activities. This can extend into town planning, transport and local
government policies. This criterion is rated as excellent.
Vitality and organizational capacity: This interdisciplinary group, in
which gerontologists, occupational therapists and engineers are working
together with experts, for example, from Gariatric and Rehabilitation
Medicine, is a very unique and promising initiative. Without any doubt
this research area has the potential to develop as an excellent center.
Overall grading: Excellent/Very good
3.9 The Elderly, Chronically Ill and Palliative Care
Quality. Despite of a fairly short history of about 10 years the unit has
been able to gain a nationally and internationally highly recognized
status in its 4 research fields, all under the canopy of ageing: care of the
elderly and the oldest old, palliative care and people living with long term
diseases. The overall picture suggests new and innovative approaches
focusing on important issues with remarkable skill and competence
particularly in the qualitative research methodology. Research on quality
of life, health complaints, and informal and formal care have emerged as
the most promising research areas.
Productivity. The number of papers recently published in high-level
international scientific journals shows high productivity regarding the
relatively small number of researchers in the group. It has been calculated
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