Ann-Therese Hedqvist

I defended my PhD in 2025 with a dissertation on collaboration in organizational borderlands to achieve seamless care for patients with complex care needs. Since then, I have been working as a researcher in caring sciences at Linnaeus University in Kalmar. Alongside my research, I have been working clinically since 2017 as an ambulance nurse in the ambulance service of Region Kalmar County. My background is as a specialist nurse in prehospital emergency care and in elderly care. I also have a degree in informatics and have previously worked as a systems developer and educator in IT.

Teaching

Research

Work Environment, Health and Safety in Ambulance Care

Working in ambulance care involves meeting patients in acute and often unpredictable situations, which places high demands on clinical competence and decision-making, while also exposing staff to particular occupational risks.

Part of my research focuses on work environment and health in ambulance services. This research examines psychosocial work environment factors, stress, recovery, and organisational conditions for a sustainable working life in ambulance care. A particular focus concerns issues related to threats, violence, and personal safety. By studying both staff experiences and leadership responsibilities in the prevention and management of incidents, the research aims to contribute knowledge that can support the development of strategies and organisational structures to strengthen safety and the work environment for ambulance personnel.

Collaboration for Integrated Person-Centred Care

The ongoing transition towards integrated person-centred care involves a shift from hospital-centred services to more proactive and coordinated care delivered closer to patients’ everyday lives. At the same time, an ageing population and increasingly complex care needs place greater demands on coordination between primary care, municipal health and social care services, hospital care, and prehospital emergency care.

My research focuses on how collaboration between professionals and healthcare providers can be developed to support more integrated care for older adults with complex care needs. By studying how coordination, decision-making, and collaboration function in practice, the research aims to increase understanding of how different parts of the healthcare system can work more cohesively so that patients experience care as safe, coordinated, and person-centred.

Co-production and participation in research and healthcare

An increasing emphasis on person-centred care and equitable healthcare has highlighted the need to involve patients and citizens more actively in knowledge development. Within this field, particular attention is directed towards how older adults can be given a more active role in research and development, beyond being solely study participants.

My research focuses on how older adults can be involved as active partners in research and healthcare, with a particular emphasis on co-production and patient and public involvement (PPI). The research explores the conditions, barriers, and opportunities for older adults to participate as research partners in health and social care research. By examining both research practices and older adults’ own experiences, the research aims to develop knowledge on how more inclusive and meaningful forms of participation can be designed.

Commissions

I am part of the operational team for the Centre of Interprofessional Collaboration within Emergency care (CICE) at Linnaeus University.