Research unit of professional studies: audiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy

Research unit of professional studies: audiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy

The research unit of professional studies is a multidisciplinary programme offering three-year studies for bachelor’s degrees in audiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, as well as studies for master’s degree in human movement and occupational science, and continuing education in; occupational science, work and health, movement science and physical activity. The research of the unit spans from health promotion and prevention to treatment and rehabilitation where user involvement, inclusivity and community participation are central themes. Our research cover the life span from children and youth to the elderly, and we develop and convey new science concerning people, groups, organisations and social conditions.

Our ambition is to improve the knowledge of how to best facilitate activity and participation for the individual, groups and the population, independent of illness, injury or disability. We achieve this through research in societal and organisational conditions, as well as clinical issues and mechanisms to understand activity, movement, function and illness at individual and group levels.

The units research themes such as:

  • Activity, participation, inclusivity and user involvement
  • Public health, health promotion, public health politics and method development
  • Work life and work participation
  • Physical activity, motor competence and physical training
  • Every-day rehabilitation
  • Physical health and eating disorders
  • Musculoskeletal disorders, chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, cross-sectional lesions
  • Hearing – universal design
  • Global health
  • Health service
  • Education

Within these themes the research unit offers education and research that improve professional practice and contribute to innovation in private and public sector. The work emphasises:

  • Interaction between research and education
  • Interaction with work life in private and public sector
  • Cooperation with other knowledge environments, locally, nationally and globally

Our most important local partners are municipalities, counties and St Olav’s Hospital.

Significant projects

Significant projects

Purpose: The project will create synergies between the furniture industry and innovative ICT solutions through a process of cross sector specialisation. The goal is to:

  • Create functioning methods for product design
  • Make furniture with focus on safety, reliability and special requirements and preferences for elderly living at home.

Contacts: Prof. Arthur Serrano (PI), Prof. Beatrix Vereijken, Trine A. Magne

Finansiering: The European Union's Regional Development Fund

INHERIT - INter-sectoral Health and Environment Research for InnovaTion

Purpose and goal of the project: Identify ways of living, movement and consumption that protects the enviroment and promotes health and equality within health.

Method: Implementation of public health practices in 13 European countries - quantitative evaluation, qualitative evaluation of cross sector cooperation, cost benefit evaluation. Our role in the project: Implementation.

Involved persons from the research unit includes: Kirsti Sarheim Anthun, Ruca Maass, Siren Hope, Monica Lillefjell

Partners – national and international: 18 partners – 13 countries

NTNU Malvik municipality, Trøndelag county, University College London (UCL), RIVM (the Netherlands), Bc3 (Spain), EuroHealthNet

Financing: EU Horizon 2020, www.inherit.eu

The WE study; Walking Easier with cerebral palsy

Primary: Will injections of botulinumtoxin A make it easier for children with cerebral palsy (CP) to walk?

Secondary: What characterises the children with good effect versus those without good effect.

Method: Double-blind RCT. Participants are children/youth with CP (GMFCS I and II), 4-17,5 years old, that are randommised to receive either BoNT-A or saline in the calf muscles.

Main outcome measure: Energy cost during walking.

Secondary outcome measure: Walking capacity, daily activity, experienced effect and pain.

Involved persons from the research unit: Siri Brændvik

Partners/network – national and international: All four health regions in Norway, NTNU and two foreign centers; Nice and Warszawa

Financing: Helseforsk 2014, the cooperating body Helse Midt-Norge/NTNU, The Joint Research Committee, Fysiofondet, ECRIN (European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network)

This project will create four sense gardens (SENSE-GARDEN) in Norway, Belgium, Romania and Portugal. Pictures, videos, music and smells will be used to stimulate the different senses of elderly with dementia. Through personalisation of stimuli, SENSE-GARDEN will stimulate memory, communication and physical activity for the individual with dementia. The goal of SENSE-GARDEN is to reconnect the individual with its sense of self, improve quality of life for people with dementia and their next of kin. You can read more about the project on its homepage.

Contacts: Jon Sørgaard, Trine Magne

Early Warning Accompanies Robotics Excellence

The purpose is to improve the way of life of people with dementia and their next of kin.

Lifestyle monitoring can reduce the strain on next of kin and therefore extend the period where the informal caregiver can maintain the care and support for the person with dementia with emotional benefits in relation to the patients quality of life and social cost.

Contact: Jon Sørgaard

The Netherlands – Vilans; Sensara; ZZG Zorggroep; Italy - Universita Politecnica della Marche; JEF; Norway - Stjørdal kommune; NTNU; the Swiss Confederation - TERZ Stiftung; Multinational – Ascom.