Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Overlapping courses

• Teaching
• Examination

Course content

This course explores health policy making as a process from an analytical point of view and from a normative perspective; how can we understand public policy processes, how can and should research findings be utilised to inform policies? A normative framework for evidence informed health policy will be explored. Its strengths and weaknesses will be examined and related to debates about the role of research, what evidence is and how research and researchers can inform policies. The course will focus on policies related to governance, financial and delivery arrangements within health systems, and implementation of these. The course will through examples and case based group work introduce an approach to making policy briefs based on research evidence.

Learning outcome

After the course students should:

• Understand and critically reflect on frameworks for public policy making and evidence informed health policy.
• Understand and discuss evaluation methods and methods for analyzing the effectiveness and impact of interventions.
• Be able to systematically search for, identify and assess systematic reviews of the effectiveness of health system interventions.
• Be able to critically analyze some specific systematic reviews and policy briefs on core health system issues related to organization and financing of care.
• Be able to analyze and describe options for addressing a health policy relevant issue.
• Be able to develop policy briefs where the problem, the options for addressing it and how options may be implemented are informed by evidence from research.
• Reflect on and critically assess how health policies and reforms are developed and informed by research findings and reflect on the ethical implications of how interests and stakeholders are involved.

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in StudentWeb. The deadline for exam registration, registration as a student and payment of the semester fee is February 1.

Students already enrolled at the master programs in Health Economics, Policy and Management and International Community Health will get first priority to the courses, and should send an email to the program coordinator before December 15, in addition to register in StudentWeb before the official deadline February 1st.

External applicants from other faculties or universities are welcome to apply. Please email heled-studieinfo@helsam.uio.no before December 15 if you want admission to this course.

External applicants, not already enrolled as a student at UIO, are welcome to apply. Please email heled-studieinfo@helsam.uio.no if you want admission to this course. You will have to provide the following documentation:

• A completed Bachelor¡¯s degree or a period of study comparable with a Norwegian Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution. Applicants with foreign education, please refer to the country list
• A minimum grade point average (GPA) of C (in Norwegian scale) or equivalent from the specialization in your degree.
• A language requirement documented by one of the tests/exams below:
  a) Passed examination in English foundation course (140 hours/5 periods per week) in Norwegian upper secondary school with a minimum grade of 4 (or an equivalent grade from a Nordic upper secondary school) or alternatively passed examination in English from second and/or third school year, or
  b) An internationally recognised English language proficiency test.
• The applicants must have a specialization either within health sciences or social sciences.

Note: all documents must be official certified copies

Read more about admission for international applicants

Overlapping courses

• 10 credits overlap with INTHE4119 ¨C Evidence Informed Health Policy (discontinued)
• 10 credits overlap with HME4211 ¨C Evidence informed health policy (discontinued)

Teaching

It consist of lectures, seminars and group work based on cases. All seminars and participation in group work are compulsory.

Spring 2016: the course starts on Thursday 11 February, and is held most Thursdays between 13.15 - 16.00 throughout the semester.

Examination

• Each group of 3-4 students will be examined as a group.
• Presentation of the case/policy brief (20 min). All students need to be active and take part in the oral presentation.
• Examination/discussion (30 min). Each student will be given one question that she/he will need to answer, others will then have the opportunity to comment and reflect. Examiners may also continue with a follow up question.
• Grades will be based on seminar presentations and discussions (20%), a term paper (50%) and a final oral presentation and exam (30%). The group will be given a joint grade. However, if it is clear from presentations and examinations that there is unequal contribution or performance, students may be given individual grades. All three parts have to be passed in order to get a total grade

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

English

Grading scale

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system.

Explanations and appeals

• Explanation of grades and appeals

Resit an examination

• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Resitting an examination

Withdrawal from an examination

If you wish to withdraw from the exam you must do so in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the deadline. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit the exam.

Special examination arrangements

Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.