HP4C1E      Half Unit
Economic Analysis for Health Policy

This information is for the 2023/24 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Andrew Street COW 1.02

Availability

This course is compulsory on the Executive MSc in Health Economics, Outcomes and Management in Clinical Sciences. This course is not available as an outside option.

Course content

The course will serve as an introduction to major issues in the economics of health and health care. It will provide participants with a strong understanding of the role economics can play in health policy and health system administration. It will provide a framework with which to understand the demands placed on the health care system, the changing nature of health care supply and delivery, the interactions between patients and providers of health care, and the performance and productivity of the health system. Participants will also be introduced to essential statistical concepts in the evaluation of clinical interventions. Seminar sessions will focus on current policy debates in health care drawing on the theory and evidence from the lectures.

Teaching

The course will be delivered as a combination of lectures and seminars totalling no less than 25 hours.

Formative coursework

An 800-word “mock” blog entry for The Conversation, which covers policy-relevant issues written by academic contributors. A series of topics will be provided to students to choose from.

Indicative reading

Course textbook: Bhattacharya, Jay, Timothy Hyde, and Peter Tu. Health economics. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.Chapters 2, 16, 17, 20, Sections 5.4, 6.3.

Pocock SJ et al. Making Sense of Statistics in Clinical Trial Reports: Part 1 of a 4-Part Series on Statistics for Clinical Trials. J Am Coll of Cardiol. 2015;66(22):2536-49

 

Assessment

Essay (70%, 2500 words) and presentation (30%).

The two assessments will be:

2. Individual-based presentation (30%). Students will record a presentation based on their formative blog.

1. Summative essay (70%) of 2500 words. This will be a fuller discussion of the topic covered in the blog and presentation.

These assessments will evaluate the students’ ability in summarising, applying, and critically appraising the relevance of health economics concepts to a health policy issue.

 

Student performance results

(2019/20 - 2021/22 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 34.4
Merit 50.8
Pass 14.8
Fail 0

Key facts

Department: Health Policy

Total students 2022/23: Unavailable

Average class size 2022/23: Unavailable

Controlled access 2022/23: No

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Application of numeracy skills
  • Commercial awareness
  • Specialist skills