SPUM09009U Health Economics

Volume 2014/2015
Education
Master's Programme in Public Health
Content

Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to effectiveness, efficiency, value and actors’ behavior in the production and consumption of health and health care. A key topic for health economists is the study of the functioning of health care systems including analysis of costs and benefits of individual interventions in use or under consideration for introduction in a health care system.

The course puts emphasis on providing a basic background in key topics in health economics followed by an overview of analytical techniques in health economics with special emphasis on cost effectiveness analysis, challenges associated with performing a cost effectiveness analysis, and tools aimed at overcoming such challenges.

The course includes a mix of presentations of topics in health economics and analytical techniques, work (under supervision) on a cost-effectiveness analysis of a medical intervention selected by the student, and e-learning.

Learning Outcome

After having followed the course the student has acquired:

  • A basic knowledge about key topics in health care including financing of health care systems, how health care differs from the standard model for perfect competition contributing to market failure, and how government failure may reduce efficiency in public health care.

  • Sufficient knowledge and experience to perform independently a cost-effectiveness analysis of a medical intervention

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 40
  • Exam Preparation
  • 20
  • Preparation
  • 150
  • Total
  • 210
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Home assignment
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
passed/not passed
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examiner
Criteria for exam assesment

During the course the student performs a cost-effectiveness analysis of a medical intervention selected by the student. The analysis is presented at the end of the course.