| Unit name | Economic modelling for healthcare decision-making |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0049 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Howard Thom |
| 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 |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is a mandatory unit for the MSc in Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis. It provides essential methodological skills in the area of health economic modelling which are used in decision making about the cost-effectiveness of interventions.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Building on the knowledge of economic evaluation that students will have gained from earlier units, this unit aims to introduce students to commonly used tools for economic modelling to inform healthcare policy, with a focus on decision trees and Markov models.
Overview of content
The unit covers the entire modelling process from specification of the decision problem; building the model structure; identifying and synthesising evidence to populate the model; coding, validation, and evaluation of the model; conducting sensitivity and value of information analyses; and interpreting results. The unit also covers critical appraisal of economic models.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will have acquired essential skills in health economic modelling to assist in future study and employment.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the Unit, students should be able to:
The course will be delivered using blended learning. The course will be delivered through two intensive 3-days blocks (36 hours) of in-person on campus teaching (lectures and computer practical's), one in TB2C and one in TB2D, and through asynchronous materials (14 hours), both lectures and exercises, spread across TB2.
Students will also be expected to spend 150 hours on self-study / assessment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative assessment will be threaded through the unit in the three-day on campus teaching blocks using individual and group exercises. There will be a specific formative assessment proposing and justifying a model structure related to the summative assessment. This should cover the PICO (Population, patient or problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) model for clinical questions (ILO1, ILO2), possible evidence sources with advantages/disadvantages (ILO3), conceptual modelling framework (ILO2), and plans for implementation (ILO4).
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The summative assessment will be a single assignment with marks weighted for specific elements. The summative assessment will ask students to build an economic model using appropriate software to address a clinical policy question. Students will all build a model in the same topic area. The marks for the assignment will be weighted as follows.
When assessment does not go to plan
If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.
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. BRMSM0049).
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 University 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. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
