PUBH6003 Health Systems and Economics- World Health Organisation

a) Critically examine the key characteristics of health systems and apply this knowledge to local and global contexts.
b) Investigate and inquire into the building blocks of health systems and interpret how they are translated globally; and

c) Evaluate the principles of systems thinking and promote multi-sectoral collaboration for the successfulimplementation of public health programmes.

Systems thinking helps us to understand the elements and relationships/interconnectedness of parts to a system. Currently, the use of systems thinking is being advocated in public health as a new paradigm shift. It aids in the solving of complex and intractable public health problems and the identification of risk factors for the achievement of health systems goals/good population health outcomes.

You are required to thoroughly research and write a critical individual report on systems thinking and its application to strengthening the six building blocks of health systems for the reduction/prevention of a chosen public health problem/issue for a selected country.

1. Identify a country (e.g., Australia or any other country) and a public health issue. Public health problems/issues include excessive alcohol consumption, food safety, heart disease and stroke, road traffic accidents, nutrition, physical activity and obesity, tobacco use, water, sanitation and hygiene, HIV, drug abuse and mental health.

 

2. Provide a critical analysis of the concept of systems thinking and how it can be applied to public health.

3. Discuss the six health systems building blocks as proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

4. Discuss why the chosen public health issue is complex in the context of the chosen country based on the building blocks and thus requires systems thinking; and

 

5. Apply and analyse how systems thinking can be used to reduce/mitigate the selected public health issue along with the building blocks of the health systems of the chosen country.