Future Health
| Module title | Future Health |
|---|---|
| Module code | HPDM196 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Melinda Martin-Khan (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
With a focus on outcomes-based healthcare, epidemiology, public health and prevention of disease, this module will consider the possibilities and effects of different healthcare systems, going beyond data analytics and artificial intelligence to look at societies’ expectations and the way systems will adapt and evolve. You will consider the role of digital health, and how to manage and evaluate telehealth/digital health/IT related change.
In this module, you will explore future healthcare needs and investigate how complex healthcare systems and data analytics using real time metrics can be harnessed to bring about sustainable, equitable improvements in care and public health across the world. You will take an explicit and in-depth view of epidemiological principles, disease surveillance, and health promotion strategies to consider public health responses for global disasters (such as the pandemic; SDGs). You will appraise the potential of data analytics to transform the quality and value of healthcare “from bedside to board” through patient-centred and consumer-led approaches, identify drivers to transform existing linear healthcare structures into complex systems, and consider the changing role of the human professional by exploring where humans add value to healthcare and where smart devices know patients better than their carers.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module you will:
- develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to lead, manage and deliver affordable, sustainable and equitable health and social care services in a world transformed by emerging digital capabilities and partnerships between sectors.
- synthesise the perspectives of health and social care providers, industry partners, other sectors, patients and academia to seek out holistic approaches to local, national and global health challenges.
- harness knowledge, and attitudes required to drive digitally-integrated health and social care that meets the needs of individual patients and broader society.
- critically appraise the purpose and uses of data collection and analysis, to inform clinical decision-making.
- explore epidemiological principles as the foundation for building global-scale data, modelling, and analytics for insights and warning signs regarding public health
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically examine current problems in global health and social care systems
- 2. Apply theoretical knowledge of complex adaptive systems to health care at local, national and/or international levels in written report
- 3. Synthesise perspectives from different sectors to explore innovative holistic solutions to health and social care system challenges
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Critically appraise the contemporary evidence base for sustainable and equitable health system architecture
- 5. Debate the current evidence in line with social and ethical considerations to deliver digitally integrated population and patient solutions.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Communicate effectively in a range of genres
- 7. Reflect on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to live and work in a rapidly changing complex society requiring flexibility and proactive problem-solving.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the precise content of the module may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
Health care - Reimagining Systems
- Basics of health systems architecture
- Problems and trends in health systems and global variation
- Complex adaptive health care systems
- Population health management
- New entrants and non-traditional healthcare providers - what might healthcare delivered by multi-nationals look like?
- Epidemiology in the age of sustainable development
- Sustainable development goals and the impact on global healthcare systems
- Partnership working across multiple sectors
- Care settings 1 - Hospitals and secondary care e.g. The smart hospital, Virtual hospitals/wards
- Care settings 2 - Primary Care e.g. new models of care, proactive risk assessment and patient identification, Role of bots interacting and guiding patients
- Care settings 3 - Low resource / high unmet need e.g. Low and middle-income countries, remote populations, Conflict zones
- Care settings 4 - Consumer Health e.g. The role of the non-medical sector in health
Health Care - Beyond Data
- Digital health in health systems
- The role of digital health in health systems
- The digital divide including low resource settings
- Telehealth
- Implementation of digital health systems, adoption, and evaluation
- Theories of change management
- What is data analytics?
- Regulatory frameworks
- Case studies with real-world data
- Measuring, understanding and using outcomes and value (how universal data collection will facilitate outcomes-based healthcare).
- Using data analytics to enable democratic access to health care.
- Responsive healthcare: Applications of predictive data.
- Data security and data sharing: Legal issues.
- Political influences and drivers.
- Sustainable development goals and future healthcare data applications
- Moral and ethical considerations for AI use in healthcare.
- The role of the human professional.
- Future directions for the education of health care professionals.
A total of 300 hours of learning activities and teaching methods is required for this 30-credit point module.
Face-to-face scheduled lectures and tutorials may be replaced by short, pre-recorded videos and/or brief overview lectures delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities if a situation arises that the scheduled activities are interrupted. These interruptions should be minimised.
Descriptions of scheduling are to be taken as an example and can be changed without notice depending on timetabling restrictions within the programme and/or university room availability.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 25/09/2024 |
| Last revision date | 25/04/2025 |
