| Unit name | Economics & Policy of Health & Care: global health challenges |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0050 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2D (weeks 19 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. McLeod |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Concepts in the Economics & Policy of Health & Care |
| 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 will apply health economic and policy analytic thinking to global challenges associated with health and care. The focus taken will be a ‘one world’ perspective, but with particular emphasis on lower and middle income countries (LMICs). As with its ‘sister’ unit which focuses on the UK, this unit will develop thinking through a number of case studies focusing on current key and complex health challenges in two broad areas: (i) health and care system design; and (ii) key complex health and care challenges. The course will typically cover case studies such as infectious disease (Malaria, HIV, Covid, Antimicrobial resistance, particularly in relation to pharmaceutical solutions), access to medicines (ethical imperatives, infrastructure, pharmaceutical companies and patents), universal health and care coverage (health justice, primary care, ‘catastrophic’ payments, aid, medical tourism), life-course issues (particularly in relation to maternal and child health, and adolescence), the impacts of climate change on health (extreme weather events, weighting current against future generations), and mental health and wellbeing (stigma, learning disability). The use of both qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform and explicate these areas will be considered. A particular focus of the unit will be the links between ethics, economics and policy, with policy developments and events being discussed and appraised in light of the breadth of theoretical and conceptual thinking within the discipline and exploring particular concepts of equity and efficiency. New theoretical approaches, expanding on the core concepts will be introduced. These will be directly related to the case studies, and will include concepts such as macroeconomics and trade policy, affordability from patient and system perspectives; intellectual property rights and patents; information needs for health care planning; examining justice and equity from a capability perspective. Detailed understanding and comparison across of a variety of international settings will be developed alongside understanding of how economic and policy within country settings has implications at a global level.
By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
The course will be delivered as a mixture of:
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). There will also be formative assessments linked to tutorials which will involve activities such as group work around underlying ethical concepts (ILO 2), seminar presentations of key ideas with tutor and peer feedback, critique of poster formats for presenting economic and policy ideas (ILO 1-4). These activities will prepare students for the summative assessment.
There will be a single summative assignment with marks weighted for specific elements. The summative assessment will ask students to review and critically evaluate relevant theory and empirical evidence around a complex challenge for global health, develop an argument for a particular policy direction, and present their findings and approach (ILOs 1-4). They will be asked to submit their findings as:
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. BRMSM0050).
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.
