Course unit details:
Economic Evaluation in Healthcare
| Unit code | POPH60092 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
The demand for healthcare is rising for many reasons, and mostly outstrips supply. This means hard choices have to be made about how to distribute resources in health care. Economic evaluation provides information to support decision makers in allocating resources to improve efficiency. The course unit benefits anyone with an interest in planning or managing health services or involved in health services research.
This is an interactive online course. Students must work through the online course material. Students are encouraged to use the Blackboard discussion boards to ask questions and check their understanding of the course material
Pre/co-requisites
PLEASE NOTE: This unit was formerly called Health Economics (POPH60091/2). Therefore students who have already completed Health Economics should not select this unit.
Aims
To enable participants to: understand the principles of health economics, structure an economic evaluation and appraise and apply economic evaluation evidence to decision-making in practice.
Learning outcomes
| Category of outcome | Students will be able to: |
| Knowledge and understanding | Describe key health economic concepts Appraise the need for and relevance of economic evaluation in healthcare Explain the key principles, components and design choices of economic evaluation |
| Intellectual skills | Apply guidelines to published economic evaluations and appraise the validity and relevance of that research Interpret published economic evaluations and assess their role in decision-making, and barriers to their use |
| Practical skills | Analyse cost and outcome data to complete a simple economic evaluation Apply the use of decision analysis to the design of economic evaluations Produce a focused and answerable economic question that can be addressed using primary or secondary data sources |
| Transferable skills and personal qualities | Time management and working to deadlines Analytical skills Critical appraisal skills |
Syllabus
- Topic 1: Introduction to key health economic concepts
- Topic 2: Measuring costs
- Topic 3: Measuring patient outcomes
- Topic 4: Types of economic evaluation (1)
- Topic 5: Types of economic evaluation (2)
- Topic 6: Economic evaluation alongside clinical trials
- Topic 7: Decision analytic modelling (1)
- Topic 8: Decision analytic modelling (2)
- Topic 9: Interpreting results and uncertainty
- Topic 10: Systematic reviews and critical appraisal of economic evaluations
Teaching and learning methods
This is a very practical unit. Students work independently through each topic. At the end of most topics there are self-assessment exercises to check you have assimilated core aspects of that topic’s material. There is also regular online discussion with your fellow students which is e-moderated by the module leader and teaching assistants. Two non - compulsory webinars will be held if the demand is sufficient.
There will be regular interaction with the tutors through scheduled webinars (which will be recorded and made available) and through the online discussion boards. Students will be encouraged to use self-reflection to think about the ideas discussed, and take part in discussion board activities. Students should work through the unit in a logical sequence. The individual course unit timetables will guide what should be done and when. Participation in the discussion boards is greatly encouraged, and can help enhance your learning experience and prepare you for your assessment.
In line with guidance from the Office for Students and Quality Assurance Agency, the programme will be augmented by the Programme Director Seminar Series to deliver study skills, written English, academic writing, research skills, critical thinking and understanding arguments, careers and employability skills, revision/assessment/examination skills including time management.
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Students will demonstrate analytical skills through their ability to cost and use outcome data in example economic evaluations
- Research
- Students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills required to enable them to understand how researchers collect and use economic evidence for economic evaluation. They will plan an economic evaluation and will formulate ideas to build on existing research
- Other
- Students will critically appraise economic evaluations to assess the strengths and limitations of studies, as well as to consider the generalisability of studies to other settings
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 100% |
Feedback methods
Recommended reading
Drummond, M.F., Sculpher, M.J., Claxton, K., Stoddart, G.L. and Torrance, G.W., 2015. Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes. Oxford university press.
Penny Bee, Helen Brooks, Patrick Callaghan and Karina Lovell. A research handbook for patient and public involvement researchers (Chapter 5). eISBN: 9781526136527. Available at: https://www.manchesteropenhive.com/view/9781526136527/9781526136527.xml
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| eAssessment | 50 |
| Seminars | 4 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 96 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Gemma Shields | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
If you have any questions about the content of this unit, please contact the course unit leader, Gemma Shields, via email at gemma.shields@manchester.ac.uk. If you have any other queries, please contact the PGT programme team via email at shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk.