Abstract:

Introduction:
Blended Intensive Programs (BIP) combine short-term mobility with online collaboration in higher education. These initiatives aim to facilitate joint program development for students and academics within Higher Education Institutions (HEI), focusing on areas such as Digital Health and Emerging Technologies in Health Care. This study examines the self-reported impact of a BIP designed to address participants' awareness and knowledge of integrating digital health into their practice.

Methodology:
A consortium of nine institutions across eight countries developed a two-month BIP that ran from March 4 to April 30, 2024. The program included 11 teachers and 34 students, consisting of three online sessions and an in-person week. The curriculum covered digital health technologies and their applications in physiotherapy, with a focus on patient care strategies. An online questionnaire with Likert scale and open-ended questions was used to collect participants' feedback on their experiences and learning outcomes.

Results:
Out of 34 participants, 20 responded to the survey. The data indicated that a majority of respondents reported increased awareness about Digital Health, while most noted enhanced knowledge of integrating digital health technologies into practice. Many participants identified the role of innovation in addressing health-related problems. Regarding program structure, a significant portion of respondents reported feeling well-informed, and a large majority noted effective teacher support during lectures. Overall program quality was rated as either Very Good or Good by all respondents, with all participants indicating they would recommend the program to others. The survey also revealed generally positive feedback on the relevance of lectures and activities, as well as on the availability of program documents and support during workshops and student presentations.

Conclusions:
The survey data indicates that the BIP may have contributed to participants' understanding and integration of digital health in practice. The program structure, which combined short-term mobility with online collaboration, received generally positive feedback from participants. These findings suggest potential benefits in incorporating BIPs into healthcare education for promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in digital health. However, the study's limitations, including the small sample size and reliance on self-reported data, should be taken into account when interpreting the results. Future research could explore the long-term impact of such programs on students' career trajectories and contributions to digital health initiatives. Such studies might benefit from larger sample sizes, longitudinal designs, and objective measures of learning outcomes to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of BIPs in healthcare education and to derive ideas for the further development of the BIPs.

Keywords:

Blended Intensive Programs, Global Health, internationalization.