On Friday 20 February 2026 at 13.00, Christian Haurdahl Jentz defends his PhD dissertation entitled "Cross-sectoral collaboration on improving somatic health in forensic psychiatric patients in the Central Denmark Region". 

Individuals receiving forensic psychiatric care have a high burden of somatic disease and complex patterns of contact with the healthcare system. A PhD project at Aarhus University examines how somatic care can be strengthened through clinical initiatives and register-based research. The project was conducted by Christian Haurdahl Jentz, who will defend his thesis in 2026.

The PhD thesis examines somatic health and healthcare use among individuals receiving forensic psychiatric treatment in Denmark. The project combines a clinical intervention, patient perspectives, and national register data.

The clinical part of the project shows that many patients have substantial somatic illness, while insight into their own physical health is often limited. Integrating a general practitioner into forensic psychiatric wards improved access to somatic assessment. However, preventive care remained constrained by organizational structures and by patients’ opportunities to engage with their own health.
The register-based part of the project develops and validates a new method for identifying forensic psychiatric patients in national health registers. This method is used to map somatic healthcare use and reveals a pattern characterized by acute and fragmented contacts rather than coordinated and preventive care pathways.

Overall, the thesis highlights the need for both local clinical solutions and a strengthened national infrastructure to support research and planning of somatic care in forensic psychiatry.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Auditorium J116-113, Aarhus University Hospital. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Christian Haurdahl Jentz
Mail: chjent@rm.dk
Phone: +45 27285866 

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