Research Title: Digital medication management in community health and care services.

Research Background and Scope: The Medication errors and unsafe medication practices are leading causes of avoidable harm in healthcare systems worldwide, with costly consequences for both individuals and society. Community health and care services face several challenges in providing safe medication management to home-dwelling patients, such as inadequate documentation, communication, and information sharing. Digital solutions and the use of information and communication technologies to support services are recognized as drivers of quality in healthcare. Moreover, digital solutions offer opportunities to improve medication management for patients, healthcare personnel, and the healthcare system. 

Research Challenge: We invite applicants to develop a project on how digital solutions can aid safe medication management in community health and care services. The focus is on how digital solutions can contribute to person-centred care, quality improvement in documentation practices, effective information sharing, and evidence-based and sustainable community health and care services.

Main research field: Digital health

Keywords: Medication management; community health; patient safety

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Hege Sletvold  (hege.sletvold@nord.no)

Research group: Drugs and Drug Management

Faculty: Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences (FSH)

About supervisor: Hege Sletvold, MSc.Pharm., PhD and Associate Professor in Pharmacy, is the Head of the Drugs and Medication Management Division at FSH, Nord University. She has extensive experience in supervision, having supervised two PhD candidates and 13 master’s students to completion. Currently, she is supervising four PhD candidates. Sletvold has significant experience in research management, having led the research group “Drugs and Drug Management” at FSH, Nord from 2018-2024. Additionally, she has considerable experience of managing collaborative research and educational development projects. Sletvold has secured external funding for seven projects the last five years, totaling 32.2 mill NOK, acting as project manager for three projects and as a team member for four projects.

Research infrastructure and facilities:  The post.doc. will be part of a project team including Rose Mari Olsen, PhD and Professor in Health Sciences, and Head of The Centre for Care Research (CCR), Mid-Norway; Marianne Kollerøs Nilsen, PhD and Associate Professor in Pharmacy; Ivana Bojanic, PhD and Associate Professor in Pharmacy; and Tomas Log, PhD and Associate Professor in Pharmacy. The Post.doc. will be part of the research group Drugs and Drug Management, that gives access to an interdisciplinary research community, with opportunities for developing critically reflection on research, designs, and methods, and provides a platform for presenting and discussing this project. Nord University is one of the owners of TechLab, that is an independent technology consultancy company, that is available for cooperation in the project.

Who Can Apply? Eligibility Criteria: MSCA European Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded for a duration of 12-30 months (12-24 months of Research + 6 months of additional placement in non-academic sector) to researchers of any nationality who:

• Are in possession of a doctoral degree.
• Have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent (FTE) experience in research after their doctoral degree.
• Comply with the MSCA mobility rule, i.e., have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately prior to the call deadline.
• Have identified a supervisor at Nord University willing to host and supervise them.

If awarded, the Postdoctoral Fellowship grant covers salary, mobility allowance, family allowance (if eligible), and other allowances (if eligible) for the research fellow. The grant also covers research costs and overheads for Nord University.

How To Apply: If you are interested in this Expression of Interest (EoI), please first carefully review the eligibility criteria outlined above. If you meet these requirements, kindly submit the following documents to hege.sletvold@nord.no , bent.m.strandas@nord.no, and umair.n.mughal@nord.no:

• Eligibility Information:
  • Date of PhD degree award
  • Full-time research equivalent experience after PhD
  • Period of residence in Norway (if any)
• Research CV:
  • Comprehensive CV including a complete list of publications, projects, and relevant research expertise.
• Motivation Letter:
  • Describe your interest in collaborating with the relevant professor and research group.
  • Clearly outline your research and career goals.
  • Demonstrate how your research complements with the proposed EoI and those of the targeted research group.

How the MSCA PF Process Works: After reviewing your submitted documents, we will contact shortlisted candidates for an interview. Selected candidates will collaborate with us to prepare a full MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship (PF) application for submission under the Horizon Europe Programme, with a deadline in September.

We will provide comprehensive support throughout this process, including:

• Assistance in refining and focusing your research topic
• Participation in the MSCA MasterClass
• Professional reviews and feedback on your application
• Other necessary guidance to ensure submission of a high-quality application

Please note that MSCA PF is highly competitive, bringing together some of the best research talent globally. While funding success is not guaranteed, participating in the application process provides valuable experience and insights into your own research and proposal writing skills, as well as fostering close collaboration with your supervisor and research group.