The programme is worth 60 ETCS credits and lasts two semesters during which attendees will go through the following areas
- Methodology of scientific work, with special reference to applicability in health-economics studies
- Basic characteristics of healthcare systems, where the concepts of existing health systems and financing models will be presented, and possible reforms considered
- Economics in the healthcare sector / healthcare economics, with an overview of basic economic theories and specificities of the healthcare sector
- Basic concepts of pharmacoeconomics, where the attendees will receive basic information on the types of pharmacoeconomics analyses, and application of modelling while writing pharmacoeconomics studies
- Health technology assessment, as part of a wider concept applicable to diagnostic, therapeutic and other means and capital investments in healthcare.
The classes will be held on the basis of the IMCL (Interactive Multichannel Learning) method via
- Direct contact – on-site lectures
- On-line platforms
- Writing seminars and research projects
- Final thesis
Characteristics of the IMCL manner of stud
- asynchronous downloading: refers to online access to information, regardless of its format (video, audio, text, images, etc.)
- asynchronous communication: one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to- many, through the use of e-mail, forums, blogs, etc.
- synchronous communication: one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to- many, through tools such as conversation, instant messaging, audio and video conferences, etc.
Upon completion of their studies, students earn the title
Master of healthcare economics and pharmacoeconomics
- Masters of healthcare economics and pharmacoeconomics will have competencies for:
- Designing pharmacoeconomics studies
- Interpretation of pharmacoeconomics study results
- Writing reports on health technology assessment
- Constructing models of pharmacoeconomics analyses
- Critical evaluation of published research
- Evaluation of healthcare investments and policies
Methodology of a scientific paper:
Presenting basic methods of a scientific-research paper with special emphasis on health studies and specificities, and presenting basic concepts of statistical methods including setting and testing a hypothesis, basic statistical methods, and critical evaluation of scientific publications. Students should acquire basic information about the structure of a scientific-research paper, ethical principles, types of scientific publications and their reviews.
Basic characteristics of healthcare systems:
Presenting basic characteristics of the development of healthcare and health systems throughout history, and point out the trends in the modern period. Basic definitions and organizational models of healthcare systems, healthcare policies, as well as models of financing healthcare systems will be presented through lectures. Attendees will receive clarification on the functioning of a sustainable healthcare system from the point of view of ethical, personnel and other standards, as well as economic implications related to healthcare, and basic principles of management and quality assurance in healthcare.
In addition to the model of public healthcare systems, financing opportunities of private healthcare systems, as well as the potential formation of a public-private partnership will be presented.
Economics in the healthcare sector / healthcare economics:
Pointing out the importance of economic assessments in the healthcare sector in terms of financing and securing sustainability, as well as economic assessment of healthcare services and goods in the context of limited budgets. Attendees will gain an image on the applicability of economic principles in healthcare with all the specificities that must be taken into account in relation to economics in other sectors. Basic economic theories from the aspect of the healthcare sector will be presented, as well as the manner in which healthcare system functions, the key statistical methods used in health economics, and the decision-making methods from the aspect of economic parameters.
Basic concepts of pharmacoeconomics:
Presenting basic principles of financing drugs as the most common means of achieving healthcare goals through the overview of evaluation of drugs and their economic assessment. Attendees will gain a detailed understanding of the concepts of most-commonly used methods of pharmacoeconomics (COI, CMA, CBA, CEA, CUA), as well as the concept of measuring therapeutic outcomes. Concepts of models and modelling in health-economics and pharmacoeconomic analyses will be partially elaborated. In addition to drugs, the application of pharmacoeconomic methods will be presented in examples of diagnostic and medical devices.
Health technology assessment:
Presenting basic principles of health technology assessment (HTA) as a broader concept. Within this program, attendees will be introduced to the ethical aspects of health technology assessment, basic statistical concepts and application in heath-economics assessments, and the concept of availability of healthcare services.
Master’s thesis:
Writing their own research thesis under the guidance of the selected / assigned mentor.