Critical Review of Health System
- Describe and critique the various types of population health outcomes used to evaluate the success of healthcare systems
- Analyse the range of social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political factors which impact healthcare systems
- Examine systems thinking and how to apply it in healthcare
The purpose of this assignment is to analyse how inputs, throughput, and outputs of a chosen healthcare system/policy/practice may impact the health outcomes of a population
Your assignment should include the following 4 system components:
- Discuss inputs of a healthcare system/policy/practice
According to systems theory, there are inputs, throughputs, and outputs. The inputs (i.e., what we “put” into the systems) are obtained from internal and external sources to produce products and services. Inputs might commonly include:
- Funding
- Policies
- Staff/personnel
- Facilities/equipment
- Expertise
- Materials and resources
- Information
- Time
In addition to this, there can be other intangible factors such as social, cultural, political, environmental factors (e.g., influence of pandemic) that affect the healthcare systems/policies/practices that need to be considered
- Discuss throughputs/processes/activities of a healthcare system/policy/practice
Throughputs are those processes and/or activities that a system employs to convert collective inputs into desired outputs (e.g., the processes of treatment and service provision to patients). Discuss the importance/effects of the throughputs in the chosen system/policy/practice.
- Discuss the outputs of a healthcare system/policy/practice
Outputs (i.e., what leaves the system) are the results obtained. In the healthcare context, outputs are predominantly the end services or products that are delivered or provided to the clients (e.g., number of patients treated).
- Discuss the outcomes of the system/policy/practice
Outcomes indicate the short to medium-term results of the above factors on population health.
Structure of assignment
There can be variations in preparing your assignment. However, the below outline is suggested:
- A punchy, specific, and informative title for your assignment
- Assessment, analysis, and evaluation of the inputs, throughputs, outputs, and outcomes – a balanced and coherent structure is required between these 4 sections. Use subheadings if applicable.
- References (minimum of 12)
A maximum of three diagrams, tables, charts can be provided in support of your arguments if required.
Notes:
- You may discuss any healthcare systems/policies/practices for this assignment but we recommend you select the healthcare systems/policies/practices that you introduced in assignment 1 to save time.
- Please review reading materials HLB – READING 6(***attention to Chapter 3&4) – HLB- READING 13 to get some ideas of diverse ranges of health systems/policies/practices. This will provide you some possible ideas around choosing, understanding and analysing a healthcare system/policy/practice
