| Unit name | Concepts in the economics and policy of health and care for public health |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0061 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Gobin |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
This unit comprises an initial introduction to the key concepts used in health economics and policy analysis; it also introduces core ideas related to the sociology of health and illness that are relevant to policy analysis. Ideas around resource allocation and policy thinking are introduced for health and care services and for public health. The unit introduces basic concepts and principles in both health economics and policy analysis. Core concepts that will be explored include: scarcity and opportunity cost; need, demand and supply in health and care; values in the economics and policy of health and care, particularly equity and efficiency (‘value for money’); agency relationships, shared decision-making and the doctor-patient relationship; professionalism and the role of trust in providing health and care; multi-stakeholder approaches to health and care provision including patient and public involvement and the multi-dimensional concept of quality.
The unit will also provide an introduction to some key areas of study in health economics and policy analysis: economic evaluation and the underlying normative theory; markets and market failure in health and care systems; public goods and the role of public/government intervention; models of health and care provision and financing; inequalities and social determinants of health; behavioural economics and nudge theory.
By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
The course is delivered as a mixture of (i) three full days of face-to-face teaching in weeks 1-3 of TB1. This will comprise a mixture of presentation and interactive sessions, with the aim being to make the most of the face-to-face environment, (ii) five tutorials across the remaining weeks of TB1,offering the opportunity for interaction with tutors and peers, and providing a focus for formative assessment activities (7 hours), (iii) asynchronous online lectures providing material that will form the focus of the weekly tutorials (25hours), and (iv) self study (150 hours).
There will be ongoing formative assessment throughout the three-day face-to-face teaching blocks through methods such as quizzes, group exercises and discussion, with both tutor and peer feedback (ILOs 1, 3, 4, 5). More substantial formative assessments will be particularly linked to tutorials and will involve activities such as presentation of content in seminar settings to evaluate understanding of concepts (ILOs 1, 3, 4, 5), development of search strategies to find information sources and material related to core economic and policy concepts, extraction of relevant data from key papers, appraisal of evidence sources and synthesis and interpretation across sources (ILO2). These activities will prepare students for the summative assessment.
The summative assessments will test students on their ability to identify, synthesise and critically evaluate evidence related to core economic and policy concepts , resource allocation and health and care systems taught in the Unit (ILOs 1-5). Students will be presented with a topical case study and asked to complete two assignments based on this case study:
The chosen topic will change each academic year, but examples might include the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, responses to the obesity pandemic, or approaches to mental health difficulties for children and young people. The overall topic will be set, but choice will be given through the contexts through which students may address the question (e.g. from a defined list of health systems).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0061).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
