Quantitative Approaches to the Evaluation of Health Care Inputs

Course objectives

The aim of the course is to enrich and enhance the knowledge and skills of the students that are of importance in the evaluation of health care inputs. It will provide a general overview of different quantitative approaches to this subject area. The course will go more in depth with approaches such as (pharmaco)epidemiology, health economics, outcome measurements, and meta-analysis.

General contents and topics

The emphasis of the course is to give a broad-based insight into the different approaches and their inter-relationship. The topics most emphasized will be:

• Methods of register based research
• Interventions in health care
• (Pharmaco)epidemiology
• Quasi-experimentation
• Measurement of outcomes
• Health economic evaluation
• Evidence based medicine
• Meta-analysis
• Medical technology assessment

General information

The course will comprise lectures and individual tasks. During the course, efforts will be made to integrate the research projects of the participants. By the end of the course participants are to present a study drawing on the approaches taught during the course.

Course materials comprise a collection of relevant articles and textbooks.

Duration

8 to 19 April 2002.

Course weight

0.104 STÅ (STÅ = student full-time equivalent) = 6.24 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System).

Course director

Professor Ebba Holme Hansen, Department of Social Pharmacy at The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, with external lecturers from Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Course fee

Total: DKK 8,200 (including lunch),
of which operating costs amount to: DKK 1,300.
An additional amount for study materials: DKK 900.

Closing date for application

1 February 2002.

Course capacity

16 participants.

N.B.

The course is aimed at PhD students in the health care professions. It is also aimed at students in the economic, political, social, and human sciences with an interest in the evaluation of health care inputs.

The course language is English.

On the basis of the individual performance, the course leader gives a pass/fail. Those who pass will receive a certificate.