Introduction to Health Psychology

Discover why psychology in healthcare matters to both caregivers and patients

Psychology plays a vital role in healthcare services. From a patient learning to cope with a medical condition to a doctor delivering significant diagnostic news – the psychological impact and toll of healthcare are often overlooked.

On this free online course from the University of Padova, you’ll get to grips with the essentials of healthcare psychology – what psychology is and how it influences areas from policymaking to illness management.

You’ll learn about how to improve positive psychological behaviour, and how health psychology impacts healthcare in developing countries.

This course would be valuable for psychology students looking for an introduction to health psychology, as well as policymakers interested in improving healthcare at the state level. Patients or carers themselves could also find it beneficial to study psychological reactions to physical illness.

This course would be valuable for psychology students looking for an introduction to health psychology, as well as policymakers interested in improving healthcare at the state level. Patients or carers themselves could also find it beneficial to study psychological reactions to physical illness.

• Explore the broad domain of health psychology, ranging from policymaking to psychological reaction to illness
• Develop the skills needed in coping with medical illness from a psychological point of view
• Reflect on how to break negative news to patients
• Collaborate with others in building effective health interventions
• Identify the main techniques for stress management in medical illness
• Explore specific aspects of health psychology including e-health and health psychology in emerging countries