Health Care Systems: Structure, Policy and People
UndergraduateUAD-PUB2508OUA2025
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- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 26 May 2025
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Health Care Systems: Structure, Policy and People
About this subject
On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding and analyse current public health issues and controversies and critique the different public policy responses to health issues within Australia and internationally.
- Demonstrate understanding of, and describe how, the Australian health care system works.
- Review and critique public health policies and strategies.
- Map patient journeys through different parts of the health system, including acute care, primary care, rural health services and Indigenous health services.
- Develop specific oral and written communications, informed by appropriate evidence, to effectively communicate health care issues and research results to policy makers.
- Introduction to the Australian health care system / international health care systems / funding mechanisms
- Health policy: role, analysis and influences
- How the health system works on the ground: case studies
- Health system reform / integration
This is a time of major change in our health care system. The system must meet the health needs of all Australians at a time when health care costs are rapidly increasing and our population is ageing. How can we ensure our health care system is efficient, equitable and the expectations of all Australians are met? In this course, students will examine how our health care system currently works and explore the various strategies that could improve both the quality and effectiveness of the care that people receive. This will include studying health care policies and how they directly impact on people's lives; following the health care journeys of a variety of Australians to examine how the health care system functions at an individual level and how it interacts with other systems and we will look briefly at how health care systems in other countries work. Students will learn a variety of practical skills such as how to analyse health policies, how to write a policy brief and how to approach health care reform.
All assessment is assignment based.
- Case Study (30%)
- Report Health Systems Comparison (15%)
- Policy Assessment: Stakeholder Analysis (10%)
- Policy Assessment: Policy Brief (30%)
- Policy Assessment: Pitch Presentation (15%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
The University of Adelaide has a habit of breaking new ground. It was Australia’s first university to welcome female students. The first to offer science and business degrees. Its alumni include Australia’s first female prime minister; the first Australian to walk in space; 2021 Young Australian of the Year; and 2020 Australian of the Year. Adelaide’s OUA degrees will give you deep discipline knowledge, transferable, future-ready skills, and the capability to change the world for the better. With Adelaide, you can make history.
Learn more about The University of Adelaide.
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- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 8
- Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 7
Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Core
- UAD-HSM-DEG-2025 - Bachelor of Health Service Management
Others
Successful completion and passing of four core open access courses and admission into the Bachelor of Health Service Management.
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - Headphones or speakers (required to listen to lectures and other media). Headset, including microphone (highly recommended). Webcam (may be required for participation in virtual classrooms and/or presentations).
- Software requirements - It is essential for students to have reliable internet access in order to participate in and complete your units. MyUni is the University of Adelaide's online learning environment. MyUni provides access to various features including announcements, course materials, discussion boards and assessments.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Health Service Management
UndergraduateUAD-HSM-DEG