HAR687: Economic Evaluation and Health Care Financing

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Overview

The Economic Evaluation and Health Care Financing module is led by Simon Dixon. It runs in the Spring semester and is worth 15 credits.

It is one of the modules on:

• European Masters Programme in Public Health (option)
• Master of Public Health (Health Services Research) (option)
• Master of Public Health (Management and Leadership) (core)
• Master of Public Health (MPH) (option)
• MSc Clinical Research (standard route) (option)

This module is available as a CPD option

This module is available Faculty-wide in years 1 and 2 as a DDP module

This module is restricted to 50 students

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Introduction

This module introduces the basic principles of economic evaluation as applied to healthcare interventions and health care financing.

The core part of the course focuses on economic evaluation and covers the different types that are available and the various stages and techniques that need to be applied to generate results. As alternative techniques are described, the strength and weakness of each will be highlighted, with the students being encouraged to critically appraise their appropriateness to different contexts.

The course also introduces the concepts of markets and market failure, models of health care financing and objectives of health care systems. These topics draw on economic theory and use it to identify possible solutions to health system problems. Health system performance measurement will also be covered, linking the economic and health system content to empirical studies.

The module requires the use of specialist terminology and definitions relating to health economics and health care financing. In addition, the content relating to economic evaluation requires students to be comfortable with mathematical concepts and notation; some calculations are also necessary.

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Objectives

This module aims to introduce the basic principles of economic evaluation as applied to healthcare interventions and health care financing. It will provide students with knowledge and understanding of these basic principles and enable students to critically appraise the validity of economic evaluations and their appropriateness to different contexts.

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Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to:

• describe and reflect upon the principles of economic evaluation;
• describe and reflect upon the methods used to undertake economic evaluations in healthcare;
• critically appraise published economic evaluations;
• describe and reflect upon alternative health care financing systems using a an established conceptual framework and research findings.

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Teaching methods

The aims and learning outcomes are achieved through two main teaching methods.

Firstly, live lectures, some of which will include exercises, polls and discussions, will provide the majority of the contact hours with lecturers.

Secondly, discussion boards and Q&A sessions will be used to address student questions. One week will be reserved for student presentations of their native health care system using a framework developed by the World Health Organisation.