University of Technology, Sydney

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92847 Planning and Evaluating Health Services

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

UTS: Health
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Postgraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject aims to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand and apply the major concepts involved in health services planning and evaluation. Topics covered include the relationship between evaluation and planning; the importance of assessing need, and understanding data and data sources; and the perils of healthcare forecasting. Workforce planning and service capability frameworks are addressed, as well as planning capital infrastructure for health services. How to evaluate and implement a health services plan is also described. In order to highlight the complexities of health services planning, a range of case studies are utilised such as an existing health service, a new purpose-built facility, primary and community health service, disease type, age type, and service model type. An emphasis is placed on the importance of stakeholder consultation and engagement within the health services planning environment.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  1. Describe and apply the principles of planning and project managing a healthcare program, service, facility or model of care
  2. Demonstrate skills in using data and tools to plan a healthcare program, service, facility or model of care
  3. Identify the factors that facilitate or constrain the planning process
  4. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of health service plans and approaches
  5. Descrbe approaches to evaluation techniques.

Contribution to course aims and graduate attributes

The aim of this subject is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to understand and apply the major concepts involved in planning and evaluating health care services.

The graduate attributes addressed by this subject are:

1. Critical thinker who influences practice, policy, and research to achieve clinical excellence and transform healthcare services (Critical Thinking)

2. Effective leader who considers health care in a global context (Leadership)

3. Socially and ethically accountable when engaging with individuals, interdisciplinary teams, communities, organisations, and jurisdictions (Accountability)

4. Effective and appropriate communicator in challenging, complex, and diverse situations (Communication)

Content

  • Overview of health service planning
  • How to develop health service plans for a variety of environments
  • The role of assessing need in health service planning
  • The role of workforce planning in health service planning
  • The role of capital infrastructure in health service planning
  • The political and cultural environment in which health service planning takes place
  • Boundary spanning planning
  • The importance of data and data sources in health service planning
  • The importance of service capability in health service planning
  • Strategies to engage community / consumers and health services
  • Measurement tools relevant to health service planning
  • Limitations and opportunities in health service planning

Assessment

Assessment Item 1: Needs Analysis

Intent:

This assessment focuses on the importance of assessing need and relevant data sources when preparing a health services plan.
Objective(s):

Learning Objective: 1, 2, 3
Weighting: 30
Length:

1500 words
Criteria:

10% Clearly identifies the planning priorities and recommended geographical structure
25% Demonstrates application of needs analysis principles to the findings, with valid conclusions based on examination of the data
20% Critically analyses existing planning documents covering the two cities or towns and the two states
20% Logically presents material, with appropriate balance between text and numerical and trend data in tables and charts
15% Demonstrates coherence and logical flow in the argument construction
10% Presents correct grammar, spelling, formatting, style (report), and referencing

Assessment Item 2: Development Process for a Health Services Plan

Intent:

This assessment item focuses on the skills involved in developing a health services plan.
Objective(s):

Learning Objective: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Weighting: 50
Length:

2500 words
Criteria:

25% Demonstrates understanding of the steps and stages in undertaking a health services planning process and of planning principles within a project plan
15% Clearly identifies and includes key data
25% Demonstrates a critical approach to both the planning principles and any existing plans
10% Logically presents material, with appropriate balance between text and numerical and trend data in tables and charts
15% Demonstrates use of current literature (>2000) relevant to health services planning
10% Presents correct grammar, spelling, formatting, style (report), and referencing

Assessment Item 3: Evaluation of a Health Services Plan

Intent:

This assessment item focusses on applying the principles of evaluation to an existing health service plan.
Objective(s):

Learning Objective: 1, 2, 5, 6
Weighting: 20
Length:

1000 words
Criteria:

15% Demonstrates understanding of the importance of evaluation in the health service planning cycle
15% Demonstrates understanding of the steps and stages in evaluating a health service plan
20% Describes an appropriate evaluability assessment
25% Explains approaches to process, impact, and outcome evaluation
15% Demonstrates use of current literature (>2000) relevant to health service plan evaluation
10% Presents correct grammar, spelling, formatting, style (report), and referencing

Required texts

There is no single textbook required for this subject. A number of readings are required to be completed for each lecture. Details of these required readings will be available on UTSOnline and the required reading material will be available from download from either the UTS Library eReadings list for this subject or from the pages for this subject on UTSOnline.

A number of readings will be drawn from the following texts:

Issel, L., M. 2004, Health program planning and evaluation: a practical, systematic approach for community health, Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Eagar, K., Garrett, P., & Lin, V. 2001, Health planning: Australian perspectives, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.

Additional useful publications are:

Thomas, R. 2003, Health services planning, Kluwer Academic/Plenum, New York. (Available as an eBook through the UTS Library)

Kettner, P.M., Moroney, R.M., & Martin, L.L. 2008, Designing and managing programs: an effectiveness-based approach, 3rd edn, Sage, Los Angeles.

Smith S., Sinclair D., Raine R., & Reeves B. 2005, Health care evaluation, Open University Press, Maidenhead UK .

Other resources

UTS Student Centres

Building 10
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9am - 5pm
Wednesday: 11am - 5pm
Telephone: (02) 9514 4911

Website details for student centres: https://servicedesk.uts.edu.au/CAisd/pdmweb.exe.

For other resources/information refer to the Faculty of Health website (https://www.health.uts.edu.au/students/current/index.html) or UTSOnline at: https://online.uts.edu.au/webapps/login/.

Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.

HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS is located in Student Services, on level 3 building 1 at City Campus and via the Student Services area at Kuring-gai. Phone 9514-2327 or 9514-2361

Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.