Improving competence for practice: a realist evaluation of co-produced master-level digital sexual health promotion courses for health and welfare professionals

Introduction Sparse education on sexual health promotion for health and welfare professionals can lead to unequal sexual health care provision, with related needs and rights being insufficiently met. To improve knowledge for health and welfare professionals, co-production and shared learning are essential, as students’ learning, and professional development are facilitated by effective partnerships between universities and workplaces. Methods Using a theoretical framework based on the concepts co-production, work-integrated learning, digital teaching and digital didactics, an initial programme theory was created. Thereafter, a realist evaluation was made of outcomes from five different digital master-level courses, all covering various aspects of sexual health promotion. Four data sources were used: 1) midway course evaluation from 32 students analysed with reflective thematic analysis, 2)…