Inclusion Health

Involving vulnerable groups in health research

Topic: Inclusive society
Focus: Health; Health inequalities
Method: Exchange meetings

Duration: May 2022 – December 2023
Status: completed
Location: Vienna
Funding: OIS Center Projekt

What is the project about?

Not everyone in Austria has the same access to healthcare. The Inclusive Healthcare project aims to identify these inequalities and develop initiatives to minimise them.
The project is divided into two phases: In the first phase, the health concerns and needs of vulnerable groups – in this phase, particularly people affected by homelessness – are gathered. Subsequently, research topics are defined and prioritised in collaboration with people experiencing homelessness, those with housing, and various stakeholder groups (researchers, social workers, doctors).
In the second phase of the project, transdisciplinary project teams will receive support in terms of content and methodology to jointly develop fundable research projects and publications on the topic of Inclusion Health. To this end, networking and information events will be held to jointly develop research capacities and knowledge.
The project places a particular focus on research ethics when working with vulnerable groups and on the involvement and support of early-career researchers. In this way, the project aims to provide impetus for the establishment of the emerging field of Inclusion Health. Furthermore, methodological and ethical expertise for participatory health research with vulnerable groups will be developed, ultimately contributing to the improvement of the health situation of vulnerable groups in Austria.

What is the goal of the project?

The aim of the project is to identify social inequalities in the health sector and to develop ideas for research projects on how these inequalities can be reduced.

Who participates in the project?

Vulnerable citizens, particularly those who are homeless or living in substandard housing
Staff working in the social and health sectors who have experience of, or an interest in, social inequalities in healthcare
Researchers with an interest in social inequalities in healthcare