General provisions

The course is possible to chose as an elective course within the medicine programme. For admission to the course within the medicine programme, studies are required up to and including semester 10.

Entry requirements

180 credits

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Explain the importance of health economics for prioritization decisions on a national, regional, and local level.
• ​Account for and apply the theories and methods that are needed to evaluate an intervention from a health economics perspective
• Use different check-lists to identify strengths and weaknesses in published health economics studies
• Use Excel software to conduct a health economics evaluation

Content

In the course, theoretical lectures are combined with practical exercises to help students acquire the subject-specific knowledge an technical skills to conduct a health-economic evaluation. The lectures describe the theories behind and the methods for health economics evaluations. First, the cost (resource use) and consequences (outcomes, effects) for different interventions are identified. Then they are compared from a health-economic perspective. Finally, the sensitivity of the result against the assumptions made are tested.

The seminars give the student the opportunity to individually carry out the different steps of a health economics evaluation. The students will be trained in making assumptions, apply the theories discussed in class, and, then evaluate the sensitivity of the results to the made assumptions. Students also critically appraise published health-economic evaluations. This helps students to not only obtain understanding for the theories and methods he/she applies, but also other health-economic theories and methods.

Finally, the students meet representatives from public authorities, county councils and industry to understand their use of health economics for prioritization decisions.

Instruction

The course is given as a series of lectures and seminars as well as meetings with representatives from different public authorities.

Practical exercises in Excel require that the student has access to this software and a certain experience of using the programme.

Assessment

The student shall carry out an evaluation of a hypothetical drug and summarise the evaluation in terms of a so-called reimbursement dossier, a report that is used as a basis for reimbursement decisions. The file is submitted at the end of the course.

Students should also critically review two to three health-economics studies. These reviews should be submitted in as a written assignment before compulsory seminars that are organised at the end of the course.

Seminars give students the possibility to ask questions about the appraisal task or the course as a whole.

For medical students the following applies as well:

For rules on absences from compulsory modules and rules for participation in examination, see the programme syllabus in the students' guide.

Students who have failed have a right to go through the course a further 4 times (= 5 in total). If special circumstances occur, the programme committee can grant an additional occasion.

Prematurely interrupted clinical placement:

A student may fail and be forced to interrupt the clinical placement prematurely if there is a noticeable risk that the student due to incompetence may injure another individual or valuable property if he or she continues the clinical education. An individual plan should be decided for the student and be given to him or her in writing. This plan, decided by the programme committee, must state the knowledge and skill shortages at hand, the support the student may receive from the department and also state how and when the assessment will take place. A student is entitled to a maximum of two assessments, but no more than one a year. The student is not allowed to participate in clinical placement again, until the programme committee has assessed and approved that the student has the required knowledge and skills. Decisions on the individual study plan may be delegated by the programme committee to a student welfare committee or equivalent with student representation.