
Healthcare Sciences and Ageing
Health care sciences are extensive subjects that include studies in a number of disciplines such as nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, ageing and health economics. Studies at Karolinska Institutet can be applied to such widely-separated areas as cancer, dementia and musculoskeletal problems. They can also include defined sub-sets of the general population such as the elderly, women, children and people of different cultural origins.
Articles and features

Exercise as medicine
After witnessing the positive effects that exercise has had on the wellbeing of breast cancer patients, Yvonne Wengström is certain where she stands: It’s time to introduce physical activity in cancer care.

Focus on birth injuries
Most women will sustain some injury to the genital area when giving birth; however, for some of them the problems become permanent. Helena Lindgren is researching the role of the midwife and whether better methods could reduce the risk of vaginal tearing.

She wants us to talk about death
Everyone is going to die. And yet, we rarely have a conversation about death. Carol Tishelman wants her research questions arouse some everyday existentialism.

How AI may solve our health problems
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is moving quickly and will change our life – not least when we go to the doctor.

Spotlight on Healthy Ageing
The average life span in Sweden is steadily increasing for both women and men. But what should you do to decrease your risk of becoming old and sick, and instead look forward to being old and healthy?

“It took a pandemic”
A feeling that hygiene in ambulance care could be better inspired Veronica Lindström to study the issue scientifically. Since then, she has seen improvements, not least in connection with the coronavirus outbreak.

Swedish midwifery – does this model work in Africa?
The midwife is at the heart of Swedish child and maternal care. Kerstin Erlandsson is investigating if this might be the key to reducing child and maternal mortality in African countries.
News in Healthcare Sciences and Ageing
Some of our professors in the area

Researching medical education and driving educational development
Good health in the future through the development and application of the best possible medical education is the guiding star for Anna Kiessling’s work – for both research and quality work at Karolinska Institutet.

Laying the groundwork for clinical improvements in abdominal surgery
Anders Thorell’s research evaluates techniques of gastrointestinal surgery, leading to new clinical recommendations. He also studies mechanisms behind the effects of weight-loss surgery.

Quality care when body and cognition start to fail
Many elderly patients suffer from both physical conditions and cognitive impairments. Dorota Religa studies how the care of this patient group can be improved. Her research covers both pharmacological and organisational issues.

Studying antibiotic use in dentistry
Bodil Lund is a dentist who is researching how the dental care services can help to stem antibiotic resistance by making more prudent use of antibiotics. Her work also includes the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular (TMJ or jaw joint) problems.

Strengthened midwifery increases women's access to care
Marie Klingberg Allvin’s work involves strengthening midwifery, often in low-resource countries, in order to give women access to better healthcare. She believes in the integration of research and education – something that is also included in her new professorship.

Researching to improve medical education
KI’s educational programmes should be world-leading both in their content and educational methodology. Terese Stenfors is studying how medical learning processes operate and works with the integration of research into KI’s own education.

Ethics becoming more complex
Gert Helgesson's research concerns everything from how researchers present their data to the difficult decisions doctors must make on life and death.

Improving well-being in dialogue with patients
Yvonne Wengström studies how care can support patients’ well-being during treatment for cancer. This she does in dialogue with the patients themselves.

Challenging exercises effective for Parkinson’s
Erika Franzén is engaged in research on exercise that improves balance and gait for people with Parkinson’s disease. Her pro-gramme HiBalance, which poses significant physical challenges to the patients, has proven to be both effective and much appreciated.

Rehabilitation on the patient’s terms
Susanne Guidetti develops methods and interventions for rehabilitating people who have had a stroke and for supporting older people. Her interventions are based on person-centred care, digital support and activities where the individual’s own priorities are in focus.

Seeking mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders
Eric Westman combines brain imaging with machine learning to search the whole brain for the mechanisms behind neuro-degenerative disorders. An important element of his research is to identify different subtypes of diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Developing e-health for improved care
A mobile app for postoperative follow-up care leads to better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Ulrica Nilsson investigates how e-health solutions can improve perioperative care.

Insurance medicine and mental disorders
Mental disorders, such as depressive and anxiety disorders, can lead to long-term sick leave – but excessively prolonged sick leave can also aggravate the illness. Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz conducts research on the links between mental disorders and social insurance.

Studying muscle loss due to ageing
We become weaker as we get older. For those who suffer from severe muscle loss at an early age, the consequences in everyday life are often significant. Thomas Gustafsson is researching the causes of these changes and how they can be counteracted.

Artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics
Johan Lundin is using mobile digital solutions and artificial intelligence to make diagnostics accessible, safe, and accurate in low-income countries. The tools he is developing can also reduce the workload of doctors and laboratory personnel in high-income countries.

Everyday technology a challenge for people with dementia
Louise Nygård is a Professor of Occupational Therapy. Her research is about coping in a society demanding technical competence when you suffer from dementia or cognitive impairment.

Understanding and using physical activity for health
The health benefits of exercise are well known, but healthcare needs to become better at actually using physical activity as a treatment. This is the opinion of Maria Hagströmer, who is engaged in research concerning the relationship between physical activity and health.

Studying care and support for children with allergies
Inger Kull is engaged in research focusing on children and young people’s allergies and the patient’s transition from paediatrics to adult care. Much of her research is linked to the BAMSE Project she co-founded 26 years ago.

Clinical improvements for joint operations
Olof Sköldenberg’s research aims to contribute to better treatment and diagnosis of injured joints – especially hip joints. In recent years, among other activities, he has investigated how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used as support in the analysis of orthopaedic X-ray images.

The ageing society is a challenge
Johan Fritzell is studying how socio-economic factors affect how healthy we are and how long we live.

Improving drug treatment for the elderly
Kristina Johnell researches drug use in the elderly population, what consequences it has and how it can be improved.

How teaching methods can be developed
Lena Nilsson-Wikmar’s research is centred on how teaching methods can be developed as a means to improving student learning.