Health Systems (PUBH7614)

Course overview

The course provides students with a theoretical and practical understanding of the building blocks of health systems, their global and national contexts, design and operation. We look at issues of how policies and resources shape health systems, drawing on national examples and global health policy.

This course provides a thorough understanding of health systems, emphasising their structures, functions, objectives, and their role in achieving universal health coverage (UHC). Students will learn to navigate the intricate components of health systems and the diverse factors influencing their effectiveness. The course offers both theoretical insights and practical tools to analyse, evaluate, synthesise, and strengthen health systems to ensure health and promote wellbeing through UHC and health security. Students will examine the key building blocks of health systems—service delivery, health workforce, information systems, financing, governance, and medical products—while applying systems thinking principles to identify solutions to real-world challenges. Using the World Health Organization's framework, students will critically assess health systems through qualitative and quantitative data, identifying opportunities to enhance performance.

Case studies from Australia and around the world will provide valuable context, highlighting the diversity of health systems and strategies for improvement. The course uses lectures, tutorials, group works, seminars, and assessments to achieve its objectives. By the end of the course, students will possess the knowledge and tools to analyse, evaluate, and design strategies that strengthen health systems to achieve their objectives. Whether pursuing a career in health services management, policymaking, or research, participants will gain a strong foundation to address the evolving needs of health systems towards health and wellbeing.

Course requirements

Assumed background

An understanding of, or ability to gain, systems-level thinking is assumed.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

The course aims to enable students to:

• comprehend the building blocks, functions,ﾠobjectives and goals of health systems,
• analyse health systems,ﾠapplyﾠsystems thinkingﾠand identify startegiesﾠto achieveﾠuniversal health coverage and improveﾠhealth.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Quiz One: Week 1-6

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

5%

Due date

3/04/2025 - 4/04/2025

The quiz should be completed between 9:00 o'clock on 3/04/2025 and 15:00 o'clock on 4/04/2025, Brisbane time.

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Submission guidelines

You will get access to the quiz via the Assessment One folder.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Reflection One: Week 1-4

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Reflection

Weight

10%

Due date

28/03/2025 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

It should be submitted via the Turnitin submission link.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Group Activity on Health Systems, its goals, its performance and determinants

• Team or group-based

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Oral, Written

Category

Presentation

Weight

20%

Due date

6/05/2025 - 20/05/2025

Each group should submit its slides by 6 May at 9:00 AM, Brisbane time

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Slides should be submitted by email to the teaching team

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Reflection Two: Week 5-11

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Reflection

Weight

10%

Due date

23/05/2025 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

It should be submitted via the Turnitin submission link.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Quiz Two: Week 7-12

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

5%

Due date

29/05/2025 - 30/05/2025

The quiz should be completed between 9:00 o'clock on 29/05/2025 and 15:00 o'clock on 30/05/2025, Brisbane time.

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Submission guidelines

You will access the quiz via the Assessment One folder.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Assessment Three: Review of Health Systems Systems towards UHC

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

50%

Due date

6/06/2025 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

It should be submitted via the Turnitin submission link.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Students must attempt all assessment tasks to pass the course.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

The final grade awarded will be based on the results of the supplementary assessment only, and a passing grade will be awarded if, and only if, the student receives at least 50% of the marks on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

All assessment tasks must be attempted to pass this course.

Re-marking of assessment tasks

• Marking items of assessment is a deliberate process that is readily defensible and is done in accordance with the published criteria for that assessment. It is recognised that there will occasionally be exceptional circumstances in which a student is dissatisfied with a result on the grounds that the mark awarded does not reflect the student's performance with respect to the published assessment criteria. In considering a request for a remark (reconsideration of a mark), faculties and schools will be mindful of equity matters relating to other students in the course.
• Students and staff should follow the procedures listed under sub section 8 of the Assessment section of the UQ Policy and Procedures Library: http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.10.02-assessment
• In all cases, the remark will replace the original mark in the calculation of the final grade which could result in the grade going up, down or remaining the same as the original grade.ﾠ

Please note the following regarding assessment: Students are required to submit all components of the assessment to pass the course. This includes drafts and peer feedback assessment items

Assignment Submission: Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and/or using Tunitin.ﾠBefore submitted any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ’s compulsory onlineﾠAcademic Integrity Tutorial.

When you successfully submit your assessment you need to download your receipt and keep a copy as proof of submission. It is the responsibility of the student to check the assignment preview and confirm that the assignment has been successfully submitted.ﾠﾠ

If the submission was not successful:

1. Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot)
2. Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again
3. If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Some Recommended Journals

• Journal of health services research & policy http://journals.sagepub.com/home/hsr
• Bulletin of the World Health Organization http://www.who.int/bulletin/en/
• Health Policy (via UQ Library catalogue)
• The Lancet (via UQ Library catalogue)
• Social Science and Medicineﾠ (via UQ Library catalogue)

Some Recommended Websites

• World Bank:ﾠhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/
• World Health Organization:ﾠhttp://www.who.int
• Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research:ﾠhttp://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/en/

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Course guidelines

School of Public Health (SPH) Guidelines for late submission of progressive assessment - Preamble

To apply for an extension to the due date for a piece of progressive assessment (eg assignments, oral presentations and computer-based assignments) students should complete the online request at  https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=2#2  

Information regarding deferral of in-semester exams and end-of-semester exams is available from https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/deferring-exam 

If requesting an extension on medical grounds, a medical certificate must be provided. The extension will be approved for the number of days included in the medical certificate that the student was not fit to study or work, eg if the medical certificate is for 3 days, an extension will be approved for 3 days maximum regardless of the student's request.  

If requesting an extension using a Student Access Plan (SAP) as evidence, a maximum of 7-day extension will be approved in the first instance. Updated medical documentation, as well as a copy of the SAP, is required if requesting an extension for more than 7 days. 

The maximum time for an in-semester extension is four weeks.  

The following SPH guidelines are consistent with the UQ policy. However, the SPH Guidelines contain specific rules and interpretations for SPH courses, and requests for extension and penalties for late submissions will be judged according to the guidelines outlined in this document. You should read both the information in your my.UQ at the following link: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension and the SPH guidelines (below) before submitting a request for an extension. The SPH Guidelines apply to all courses offered by the School of Public Health unless the Course Profile explicitly states otherwise.

SPH Guidelines for late submission of progressive assessment

Initial extension for an individual item of assessment – the SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team and/or the Course Coordinator decides.

This could be for medical or compassionate reasons, or if, in the opinion of the Course Coordinator, there are exceptional circumstances.

Acceptable and unacceptable reasons for an extension are listed at the following link, along with the required evidence to be provided:  https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=1#1

All requests should be lodged at least 24 hours prior to the due date for the assessment.

If applying for an extension after the due date and time of the assessment item, your request may not be approved. An explanation as to why your request was not submitted prior must be included.       

If approved, a new due date will be set. This would generally be no later than 7 days after the original due date, however this can be modified to take account of the circumstances of the request and the time that would have been lost from studies.

If the new due date is past the date for submission of end-of-semester results, the student will receive an INC (incomplete) result.

Second and all subsequent extensions for an individual item of assessment – the SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team and/or the Program Director together with the Course Coordinator decides.

This would only be approved for exceptional circumstance with supporting documentation.

• Online requests must be made at least 24 hours prior to the due date from the first extension.
• The SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team and/or the Course Coordinator will consult with the Program Director, who will make the final decision.
• If approved, the new due date would generally be no later than 7 days after the first extension due date.
• The Program Director should consider if remedial or other support should be offered to the student.
• The Program Director should provide a report on these matters as needed at SPH Examiners’ Meetings.

Please Note: In order to support course progression, extensions that total more than 14 calendar days from the original due date of an assessment item will only be approved in very exceptional circumstances. These requests are assessed and approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. 

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty.

Penalty for late submission

Submission of assignments, practical reports, workbooks, and other types of written assessments after the due date specified in the Course Profile will receive a penalty.

The penalty will be a deduction of 10% RELATIVE PERCENTAGE per day (24 hour period or part thereof, including weekends and public holidays) or for work graded on a 1-7 scale, a deduction of one grade per day, e.g. If the original mark is 73%, then 10% relative percentage is 10% of this value, ie 7.3%, The final mark for this assessment item after applying the penalty for 1 day late submission would be 73 -7.3 = 65.7% The same outcome is achieved by multiplying the original score by .9; ie 73 x .9 = 65.7%

The penalty for multiple days late is the relative percentage multiplied by the number of days late. 

A submission that is not made within 10 days of the due date will receive a mark of 0% for that assessment item.

Where a student has sought more than one extension, the due date for calculating the penalty will be the due date for the most recently approved extension.

Submission of Medical Certificates

Students are responsible for ensuring that any medical documentation they submit is authentic and signed by a registered medical practitioner. Such practitioners can be identified via the AHPRA website. Also note that:

• Not all online medical services are staffed by registered practitioners
• If the registration status of the practitioner cannot be verified, then an alternative practitioner should be sought
• Students will be held fully responsible for all documentation they submit, even if done so in ignorance of the practitioner's registration status

Medical documentation may be subjected to an audit by the University.

SPH Assessment Guidelines

The School of Public Health assessment tasks have been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. While students may us AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.