| CODE | MDS4017 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Public Health | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 3 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Medicine and Surgery | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit introduces the medical student to the areas such as occupational health, health management, health promotion and preventive medicine, environmental health, notification and control of infectious diseases and themes such as equity, evidence based medicine and health care services organisation. Each of the areas within Public Health will also outline the Legal framework within which each are is developed and operates. Study-unit Aims: - To familiarise the student with the areas of public health; - To ensure that the core issues in public health are discussed and considered. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify the different health care services; - Identify which European and global databases provide comparable health related indicators for Malta and other countries; - Describe the key elements of a Health Technology Assessment; - Briefly explain health economics and its underlying principles; - Describe the importance of and the basic essentials of health promotion, preventive medicine occupational health and environmental health; - Outline the basic principles of preventive medicine; - Distinguish public health interventions which are vidence based; - Describe how evidence based approaches have been integrated into public health policy; - Describe the major drivers for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs); - Discuss the procedures related to infectious disease notification, surveillance and control; - Distinguish between the major issues governing equity in health, health care policy and management and the wider determinants of health (social, environmental and economic). 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss how public health can utilise health information, social and behavioural interventions as well as health policy and law to improve the health of populations; - Outline the main factors driving ill health including the financial and social determinants of health and how these lead to health inequities; - Describe the impact of the environment and communicable diseases on the health of populations; - Outline the burden of chronic diseases on morbidity and mortality and approaches to prevention, early detection and disease management; - Discuss the criteria for evaluating health systems including issues of access, quality and cost; - Identify the roles of public health in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations and health disparities; - Analyze the determinants of morbidity and mortality in a new situation; - Debate issues related to the health of the public and the control of major health problems; - Utilise European and global databases which provide comparable health related indicators for Malta and other countries; - Discuss the key elements of a Health Technology Assessment and be able to make a case for the procurement of a new medicine or medical technology; - Explain the organisation of public health care services and the contributions of health professionals; - Discuss laws and regulations, issues, risks and strategies related to occupational health; - Explain the essentials for promoting health and understand behavioural change theory; - Describe the principle challenges and strategies in health economics. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Donaldson L.J & Donaldson R.J (2003) Essential public health, second edition (revised). Petroc Press. - Mary-Jane Schneider (2011) Introduction to public health,third edition. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Barlett Publishers LLC. - Turnock.B.J (2009) Public health, what it is and how it works, fourth edition. - Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Barlett Publishers LLC. - Detels.R et al. (2009) Oxford textbook of Public Health, fifth edition. Oxford University Press (OUP). Lecture Notes: Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine [Paperback] Richard D. T. Farmer (Author), Ross Lawrenson (Author) Paperback: 200 pages Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 5 edition (November 22, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 1405106743 ISBN-13: 978-1405106740 Essentials of Environmental Health (Essential Public Health) Robert H. Friis Paperback: 446 pages Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2 edition (December 7, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 0763778907 ISBN-13: 978-0763778903 Foundations for Health Promotion, 3e (Public Health and Health Promotion) Jennie Naidoo BSc MSc PGDip PGCE (Author), Jane Wills BA MA MSc PGCE Paperback: 328 pages Publisher: Bailliere Tindall; 3 edition (February 16, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0702029653 ISBN-13: 978-0702029653 |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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