Health economics: foundations, areas of application and methodology

The course is a part of the Master's Programme in Public Health Science. The course can also be offered as a freestanding course on advanced level.

The course can be part of the following programme: 1) Master's Programme in Public Health Science (M2PHP)

Qualification for admission to the course requires professional degree/Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in a health science, social science, science, economics, arts or engineering field of education and grade Passed/E in English B/English 6.

The course consist of two major parts: (1) microeconomic analyses of public health policy, and (2) theories and methods used to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of public health interventions and policys.

The first part introduces basic microeconomic theories and concepts and how these can be applied to understand and analyze health behavior, health care and public health policy, such as; theories of demand and supply, production and delivery of health and health care, financing of health services, adverse selection and moral hazard, economic analyses of the pharmaceutical market and innovation. Throughout the first part of the course, the theories and methods will be presented, discussed, and analyzed in relation to applications to public health topics and policy.

The second part of the course deals with methods to evaluate public health interventions and policy, both in terms of efficacy and effectiveness (e.g. effects on a certain health outcome) and in terms of the cost-effectiveness. Considering that interventions in the public health area often lack evidence from randomized experimental studies, a particularly important part of the second part refers to if, when, and how causal conclusions can be drawn from non-experimental evaluation studies. Theories and methods to assess cost-effectiveness will include how to identify, measure, and value economic costs, health outcomes and benefits from public health interventions, and specifically how to relate benefits to costs. Methods to analyze and assess the

uncertainty from evaluation studies will also be an important section in the second part of the course. Finally, the second part of the course will also include a section where health economic, ethical and distributional theories and perspectives are jointly discussed in terms of how they can be used as inputs to public health and health care priority setting and decision making.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• Describe fundamental health economics theories and demonstrate an understanding of how these can be applied to analyze individual health behavior, public health, and health care.
• Describe theories and methods used in the evaluation and health economic analysis of interventions relevant to public health.

Competence and skills

• Apply microeconomic concepts in written and oral form to describe and analyze health economic issues relevant to public health and the health care sector.
• Conduct a basic health economic evaluation.

Judgement and approach

• Analyze and draw critical conclusions from health economic research in public health science, identifying its strengths, limitations, and applicability to public health issues.
• Identify and discuss challenges and dilemmas in different health care systems.
• Critically reflect on the relationship between health economic theory and ethical considerations in evaluation and priority-setting within public health science and policy.

Teaching activities include lectures, seminars, data-based exercises, presentations, and discussions linked to group assignments.

The examination consists of two individual written examinations, as well as oral and written group assignments.
The course is assessed through:

• two individual written examinations;
• one group assignment with an oral and written presentation;
• two written group assignments based on data exercises.

The course uses the grades Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G), and Fail (U). To receive a final grade of Pass, the student must pass all examination components. To receive a final grade of Pass with Distinction, the student must meet the criteria for Pass and achieve Pass with Distinction on the two individual written examinations.

The course evaluation is carried out in writing and orally with the students. The course leader is responsible for analyzing the evaluations and giving propositions for development. The analysis and propositions of development is shared with the students through the program council. The result and potential changes should be shared to both the students who carried out the evaluation and the students that are about to start the course.

• If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).
• If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.
• If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.
• If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local Rules Regarding RIU Students at the University of Gothenburg.