| CODE | HSM5114 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Leading Health Policy Development and Implementation | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Health Systems Management and Leadership | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | As aspiring leaders in health services, it is essential for students to understand the contexts within which healthcare decisions are made including social, economic, political and technological contexts, among others. While many healthcare decisions are made at the local level or national level, decisions made at European and global levels are increasingly impacting on health systems worldwide. Small countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of trade and foreign policy developments made at supra national levels. These have an impact on all levels of health care and on all practitioners working within the health care system. Accordingly, this study-unit supports students in developing the ability to understand, plan, implement and evaluate policy-related strategies that promote effective, culturally safe health policy development within a global context. Students will also be supported to develop specialised skills in analysing and evaluating solutions to complex and ‘wicked’ problems that are associated with policy development, planning and implementation as well as the consequential outcomes of policy decisions. Through this study-unit students will learn about the theories of public policy and governance and apply these to the field of health policy. The study-unit is designed around a series of practical case studies drawn from the Maltese, European and International contexts in the field of health systems management. Students will critically analyse the development of health policies and health services strategies and reforms. They will learn about the role of domestic and international level actors in influencing health policy outcomes and will critically analyse health policy developments and health reforms. The study-unit also emphasises the role of the European Union and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation and world politics in influencing health systems. Students will gain experience with the elaboration of policies and strategies. They will identify sources of evidence and information to identify and characterise the nature of the policy problems and work towards the potential solutions. In doing so, they will analyse the implications and the positions of various stakeholders. They will utilise strategy management models and tools in the analysis, planning and development of organisational goals and objectives. They will also engage with use of marketing theories to persuade actors about the need for organisational change or policy development. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to equip students with the competence to explore policy decision-making processes, to analyse underlying assumptions associated with policy decisions, to evaluate outcomes of policy decisions and to appraise potential issues for policy reform. The study-unit aims to provide students with the critical skills to analyse and understand the underpinning social, economic and political contexts of health policies, and the factors that influence the development and impact in specific health system contexts. It aims to impart knowledge of the impact of supra national as well as national politics on health systems. The study-unit therefore combines the theoretical aspects related to content and process in the formulation of policy and strategy with practical examples drawn from contemporary issues in the management of health services organisations and health systems. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Appraise the major health system challenges facing the Maltese health system and health systems in other high income countries particularly EU Member States; - Critically analyse health policies and health reforms to assess the political, economic and social implications; - Evaluate the policy-making processes and judge the role of powerful actors in shaping health policy development and health system reform; - Analyse the role of international organisations and regional organisations in the development and management of health systems; - Consolidate an understanding of the models and tools used in strategic planning and management; - Assess the implications of designing and managing a change process in a health system; - Appraise the vulnerability of small state health systems due to international politics and global markets; and - Synthesise theories from marketing to persuade actors about the need to engage with strategic change and policy development. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically and systematically analyse a health policy/strategy or health organisation reform; - Organise a documentary analysis; - Formulate clear, persuasive and organised presentations; and - Write a reflective journal. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Buse K (2012). Making Health Policy (Second Edition) Open University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0335246342 ISBN-10: 0335246346 Ginter PM (2013). The Strategic Management of Health Care Organisations. Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-118-46646-9 Greer SL., (2016). Strengthening Health System Governance: Better Policies, Stronger Performance. Open University Press. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies Series. ISBN: 978 0 3352 6134 5 Johan P. Mackenbach and Martin McKee (2013). Successes and Failures of Health Policy in Europe. Four decades of Divergent Trends and Converging Challenges. Published by Open University Press. ISBN: 978 0 335 24751 6 Supplementary Readings: Seavey J., (2014). Health Policy Analysis: Framework and Tools for Success. ISBN-13: 978-0826119230 ISBN-10: 0826119239 Greer SL., (2014). Everything you always wanted to know about European Union Health Policies but were afraid to ask. ISBN: 978 92 890 5027 2 |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Indep Study, Grp Learn, Lect, Seminar & Tutorial | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Sandra Buttigieg Miriam Dalmas Kenneth E. Grech (Co-ord.) Tanya Melillo Gianpaolo Tomaselli |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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