EUIT Research

Research Group OCCARE

Research group on Complex Health Diagnoses and Interventions from Occupation and Care (OCCARE)
Research group recognized by Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR 01605) 

Research group coordinator: Dra. Jennifer Grau Sánchez

The OCCARE research group is part of the Fundació per a la Docència Sant Llàtzer, which includes the University School of Nursing and Occupational Therapy of Terrassa affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (EUIT-UAB).

The group’s mission is to generate and transfer knowledge to influence and transform the health and well-being of society. The group’s research aims to enhance evidence-based clinical practice, influence and support public health and social policies, and contribute to a society that is more informed about health processes. 

From a complex approach and critical perspective, the research group focuses on three main themes: i) the study of health and disease processes and their impact on individuals, groups, and communities, ii) the development and validation of novel behavioural interventions for clinical populations, and iii) the development and improvement of the competencies and well-being of health care students and professionals as agents of change to transform the health of society. 

Research lines

Group coordinator: Jennifer Grau Sánchez (jennifergrau@euit.fdsll.cat)
Research technician: Núria Casasayas Pañella (nuriacasasayas@euit.fdsll.cat)

  • Complex health diagnoses

This line investigates how health and disease processes affect individuals, groups and communities and their activities of daily living, self-care, attitudes, interpersonal relationships, and psychological and emotional well-being. This research line addresses these issues by considering intersectionality, the social determinants of health and inequalities in health care, as well as it adopts an inclusive approach and a gender perspective that recognizes the heterogeneity and complexity of realities in diagnoses.

Núria Codern Bové (IP), Inda Zango Martín, Mercè Rived Ocaña, Loreto González Román, Maria Kapanadze Kapanadze, Rosa Álvarez Pérez

  • Complex health interventions and outcomes

This line investigates interventions that have multiple interacting components, target more than one health outcome, and are adapted to the needs of the person. In the field of rehabilitation, health education and mental health, our group leads and participates in applied clinical trials and collaborates with public and private health services and with innovative telemedicine and telerehabilitation solutions.

Jennifer Grau Sánchez (IP), Laura Vidaña Moya (IP), Jèssica Garrido Pedrosa, Marta Gorina Cañaveras, Maite Sanz Osorio, Rocío Poyatos Pérez

  • Professional development and well-being

Within the framework of interdisciplinary research, this line investigates the competencies and emotional well-being of health care students and professionals. It focuses on learning methods for teaching and improving professional skills, methods for evaluating skills and ethical conflicts.

Sílvia Poveda Moral (IP), Guadalupe Sánchez Rueda, Montserrat Rodó Cobo, Montserrat Comellas Oliva, Raül Vernet Bellet, Rafael Llorens Ortega, Encarna Calmaestra Carrillo, Sílvia Bleda García, María José Jiménez Gutiérrez.

 

Scientific Dissemination

Responsible Research and Innovation

The values ​​of the OCCARE group are respect for diversity, humanization of health processes, autonomy, professionalism, and social innovation. These values ​​are at the centre of our research and connected to the vision of the health and well-being of individuals, groups and communities.

The group’s activity is guided by the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation to align research and social results and achieve more inclusive, transparent, and collaborative research with a high social impact. The principles that guide our research are the following:

Ethics. Our research seeks to achieve the greatest possible benefit for individuals, groups, and communities with expert researchers in ethics and health and social inequalities. All projects follow the recommendations and laws for research with people and for the protection of personal data and are evaluated by the Committee on Ethics in Animal and Human Experimentation (CEEAH) of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Gender equality. The group is covered by the Equality Plan of the Fundació per a la Docència Sant Llàtzer. Our team promotes the participation of women in research, guaranteeing their integration in decision-making processes. All the researchers in the group are trained in gender perspective for education and research. Thus, the gender perspective is considered in the research questions, methodology, knowledge transfer activities and supervision of early-stage researchers.

Governance. Our values ​​include the autonomy and humanization of health processes, understanding that individuals, groups, and communities are active agents in the management of their health, well-being, and care. The group wants to develop an impact-based approach to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and respond to the social and health challenges that mark the national and European Commission agendas. One of the purposes of the group is to implement flexible inclusion and diversity strategies that allow all the agents involved to participate in the research processes and in knowledge transfer activities.

Open access. The OCCARE group adheres to an open access mandate to promote access to knowledge and research results. The group prioritizes the publication of scientific articles in open access journals and has a transparent communication strategy for its research and knowledge transfer activities.

Public participation. Our research adopts an open and collaborative approach with all the agents involved. The research group is committed to methodologies based on co-creation, collaboration, and dialogue in accordance with the principles of citizen science. In knowledge transfer activities, public debate is promoted and citizen participation is invited.

Science education. Our team is committed to training new undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. Our researchers are university professors and recognize the importance of horizontal education, innovative education methods, project-based learning, and critical thinking as central elements.

OCCARE in numbers