| 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 |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is essential to the study of public health as it will equip you with the theoretical knowledge, critical evaluation skills, and practical tools needed to analyse, formulate, and implement effective health policies, ultimately contributing to the improvement of population health and well-being. You will gain a solid foundation in the core concepts associated with health economics and policy analysis, enabling you to understand the principles that underpin decision-making in public health. You will learn how these core economic and policy concepts can be applied to address contemporary issues facing health and public health systems.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit will fit within the overarching programme aims through its provision of a firm theoretical grounding in health economics and health policy relevant to public health. It will compliment other units on the programme by providing access to a different set of skills through which to view health issues as well as equipping students with the skills to understand how health economics supports decision making in health and how health policy interacts with population health.
An overview of content
In this unit you will be introduced to the key concepts used in health economics and policy analysis along with ideas around resource allocation and policy thinking for health and care services and for public health. 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; multi-stakeholder approaches to health and care provision including patient and public involvement and the multi-dimensional concept of quality. We will also describe how to conduct an 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.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
At the end of this unit you will have a greater understanding of the key concepts in Health Economics and Health Policy that are used in the field of public health. The unit will equip you with the ability to identify, synthesise, and critically evaluate key research evidence related to health economics and health policy concepts. The core knowledge and skills that you develop in this unit will prepare you for a public health career in settings such as health services, government, research and the not-for-profit sector both nationally and internationally.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
The learning methods on this unit reflect our overarching aim of enabling you to apply relevant skills and knowledge to real-world public health challenges. The unit therefore uses a mixture of lectures (in-person and asynchronous) and in-person group-based practical sessions/problem-based learning exercises based on case studies from the UK, European, and international health examples.
You will learn about core concepts through lectures, where you will be given opportunities to ask questions. These sessions will be supplemented with small group work, where working in groups, you will discuss your ideas and understanding with others and work together to solve problems. Self-directed asynchronous work will support and consolidate your learning and will include reading, accessing web-based supplementary materials, listening to pre-recorded mini-lectures, podcasts and other materials, conducting critical analysis and online discussion boards.
These ways of learning along with a dedicated in-person Q&A session at the end of the unit will prepare you for the summative assessment, which involves synthesising the information you have learnt in the unit and applying it to solve problems.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
There will be ongoing formative assessments throughout the unit 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 you for the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The summative assessment will comprise of an exam of unseen Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Short Answer Questions (SAQs) (ILOs 1-5, 100% marks for the unit) which will test you on your ability to describe and apply core economic and policy concepts taught in the unit to different public contexts and challenges.
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. 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 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.
