| Title: |
Advanced Topics in Health Economic Evaluation Methods |
| Keywords: |
Resource management (in general)
Measuring health status
Health economics
|
| Country: |
Sweden
|
| Institution: |
Sweden - Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University
|
| Course coordinator: |
Fredrik Norström
|
| Date start: |
2021-12-03 |
| Date end: |
2022-01-16 |
| About duration and dates: |
The course is given in the beginning of December each year and runs over X-mas. The course consists of two modes of examination, an individual home assignment (evaluation plan) and a written exam. For the home assignment, a written report is submitted before the students present their assignments |
| Classification: |
advanced optional
|
| Mode of delivery: |
Face to face
|
Course location:
Epidemiology and Global Health
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine
Umeå University
Sweden |
|
| ECTS credit points: |
7.5 ECTS credits
|
SIT:
200 SITs
Interactive lectures 32 SITs
Computer exercises 8 SITs
Seminars 16 SITs
Written exam 6 SITs
Self-study hours 138 SITs |
|
| Language: |
English
|
Description:
At the end of the module the students should be able to:
• critically review modelling approaches for cost-effectiveness, and analyze a given health intervention, in order to apply the most appropriate modelling approach when studying the cost-effectiveness of the intervention
• critically review and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of health economic evaluations using modelling techniques published in scientific journals
• independently identify a health economic problem suitable for an evaluation and make a plan for the evaluation specifying the model to be used
• discuss evaluation plans made by other students |
|
Assessment Procedures:
The course is examined through a home assignment and a written exam.
At the end of the last course week in January there is a
six hour open-book written exam. The exam includes both shorter questions and essay questions. The purpose of the former is to test students’ knowledge of different features of modelling techniques in health economic evaluation. The purpose of the essay questions is to test students’ ability to discuss the modelling methods, to analyze advantages and drawbacks of the methods and to appraise which method that is most appropriate for a given health intervention.
During the last course week in January the students individually, at a seminar, present and discuss a health economic model (evaluation plan). In the model, a new proposed intervention is either compared with no intervention or an old intervention, through the calculation of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. This further tests their knowledge of modelling.
The grading scale is Fail, Pass, and Pass with distinction for the written exam. For the evaluation plan the grade is either Fail or Pass. In order to be awarded Pass for the course, the grade Pass is required both for the written exam and the evaluation plan. In order to be awarded Pass with distinction for the course, the grade Pass with distinction is required for the written exam and the grade Pass for the evaluation plan.
The ECTS Grading Table is used at Umeå University. This means that the ECTS grading scale (A-F) is not used to translate grades for comparison to grades issued from other higher education institutions. The student will receive a transcript of records from the study documentation system (Ladok) showing the distribution of awarded grades since the course was established and until the date when the student has completed the course. However, this grade distribution will not be shown for courses established less than two years before the date when a student completes the course. For more information, go to https://www.umu.se/en/education/study-system/
The grades given are three; fail, pass and pass with distinction. A student who fails the written exam is allowed to take re-sit exams. The first re-sit exam is given three to four weeks after the course is finished and a second re-sit is given in the end of May/beginning of June. A student who fails the make the evaluation plan will be allowed to complement the plan if there are minor corrections to be done and t do a second evaluation plan if there are major problems with the first plan |
|
Content:
In the main part of the course decision modelling is explained, discussed and practiced. In economic evaluations of health interventions using a decision-maker perspective it is often necessary to gather information from many sources and track the course of a disease for a relatively long time perspective taking into account the uncertainty of estimates used this way. To do this, decision modelling is becoming increasingly popular in health economic evaluation. In the course different modelling techniques are being explored and the students given a chance to set up and run their own models.
In addition to this, several topics that have been covered to a certain extent in the preceding course, Health Economic Evaluation Methods (a prerequisite), will be studied further. To these topics belong questions of costing and discounting, the treatment of productivity costs, willingness to pay approaches, and the possibility of ageism in standard health economic evaluation. |
|
Methods:
The teaching on the course consists of lectures, 32 SITs, computer exercises 8 SITs, seminars 16 SITs, exam 6 SITs and self-study hours 138 SITs.
The lectures are interactive and students are encouraged to prepare for lectures by reading the relevant course literature beforehand. During some lectures students present and discuss their solutions to group assignments. The students work in groups of 4-5 students.
Independent self-study is also an important part of the learning – for preparation of lectures and group work and for integrating the new knowledge following lectures. In addition to this, completing the individual assignment of modelling an evaluation is time consuming. |
|
Prerequisites:
The requirements are having previously acquired 120 ECTS, of which a minimum of 30 ECTS are within one of the following: health sciences, environmental health or social sciences. The applicant must also have a passing grade from our course Health Economic Evaluation Methods or have equivalent qualifications.
Students must have their own lap-top
English proficiency equivalent to English A/5 from Swedish Upper secondary education. (IELTS (Academic) with minimum score 5.5 and no individual score below 5.0. TOEFL (Paper based with minimum score 530 and minimum TWE 4). TOEFL (Internet based with minimum score 72 and minimum Written 17)). |
|
Attendance:
The maximum total number of students is 30. The tropEd students will be studying together with the students on our master programmes in public health who choose this course. |
|
Selection:
Applicants in the master programmes in public health at Umeå University have guaranteed admission to this course. In addition to those, students (among them tropEd students) applying for the course as a single subject course may be accepted until the maximum number of students (30) is reached. The selection process for these latter students is based on the number of ECTS credits that each applicant has. Students are ranked according to his/hers number of ECTS credits so that the student with the highest number is first selected and so on until the maximum number of students is reached |
|
Fees:
There are no application and tuition fees for students who are citizens of countries within the European Economic Area (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or of Switzerland.
Students who are not citizens of a country covered by the EEA agreement or of Switzerland at the time they apply for studies must pay an application fee of 900 SEK (≈ 90 EUR at an exchange rate of approx.10 SEK per euro) to the university.
Those who are admitted and start studying at the university must pay tuition fees. For this course the present tuition fee is 18550 SEK (≈1855 EUR at the above exchange rate). For more information about this, see https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/All-you-need-to-know1/Applying-for-studies/Fees-and-scholarships/ |
|
Scholarships:
There are no scholarships available at this time |
|
tropEd accreditation:
Accredited in October 2018, in Berlin.
This accreditation is valid until October 2023. |
|
Remarks:
This course runs over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, which calls for an explanation. In the Swedish higher education system there are two semesters in an academic year. The fall semester for the academic year 18/19 ends on Friday, January 18, 2019. There is no formal break for the holidays even though formal education takes a pause for these.
For this course, not counting the period over X-mas and New year, the course stretches over 5 weeks.
There are two books used as course literature:
Briggs Andrew H., Claxton Karl., Sculpher Mark J. Decision modelling for health economic evaluation. Oxford : Oxford University Press : latest edition, 237 p. ISBN: 978-0-19-852662-9
Drummond Michael F., McGuire Alistair. Economic evaluation in health care : merging theory with practice Oxford : Oxford University Press : latest edition : 286 p. : ISBN: 0-19-263177-2
The first book is a standard text book for modelling in health economic evaluation. The second book discusses issues relating to costing in health economic evaluation.
In addition to this a number of scientific articles is used being distributed to our students via our electronic course site. |
|
| Email Address: |
fredrik.norstrom@umu.se |
| Date Of Record Creation: |
2018-10-31 11:39:12 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Of Record Release: |
2018-10-31 15:55:01 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Record Checked: |
2018-10-31 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Last Modified: |
2021-03-01 16:16:36 (W3C-DTF) |
