2018/19 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

YCHI5020M Systems Thinking in Health Care

15 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Justin Keen
Email: J.Keen@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 01 Oct to 31 Oct (1mth) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

Pre-requisite qualifications

Acceptance onto an M level programme

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

This is a core module for students with a keen interest in developing skills in understanding complex systems within a health care domain. Systems thinking is particularly appropriate to the health care domain where patient care depends on the collaborative efforts of many professionals across large, complex and political organisations. The module uses systems theories, developed to help understand complex social and organisational systems, as a lens for examining health care. Although the module has a particular focus on informatics challenges, students will learn new ways of thinking about problem solving and organisations including a range of powerful conceptual techniques suitable for planning interventions in complex and uncertain environments.

Objectives

Apply a systems thinking approach to problem solving and research within health care management.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to:
- understand the nature of health care delivery and management, as it relates to issues in health informatics;
- apply a range of practical systems thinking techniques to the analysis of complex social, political, organisational and informational problems in the health care domain;
- understand the political nature of health care systems and the effects this has on thinking about informatics applications and their design.

Skills outcomes
Application of systems theories to health informatics

Syllabus

The module will introduce students to a systems thinking approach to solving problems in the management of health care.

The module will cover three broad areas of health care:
- the nature of health care (including its inherently political nature)
- policy formulation including access control and consent
- and key intra- and inter- organisational applications, particularly electronic networks and management information systems.

Systems theories, specifically those dealing with the nature of social systems as systems of communication, will be used as the theoretical basis for teaching.

Students will develop a deep understanding of general systems theory and gain practical skills in soft systems methodology, social networks and working with complexity.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	8	1.00	8.00
Practical	3	2.00	6.00
Seminar	3	2.00	16.00
Private study hours			120.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

- 30 hours directed exercises and reading
- 90 hours self study and assessment.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- Seminar discussion and short exercises
- One formative peer and tutor assessed presentation will be used part way through the module

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Case Study	Report (about 2,500 words of text, with diagrams)	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 12/12/2018 10:48:54

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