92297 Health Systems and Change
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 96329 Health Systems and Change
Description
Health systems worldwide are facing increasing pressure to improve their efficiency and effectiveness while delivering safe, high quality and patient-centred care. Most countries accept that existing models of health care delivery are not sustainable for future decades, resulting in modern health services engaging in large system changes. This subject assists students to develop knowledge and skills in understanding and adapting health systems to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. The subject initially examines a range of change theories that can be applied to the healthcare environment as well as relevant leadership theories within the context of change. Finally, the subject focuses on national health reform and a range of service improvement approaches and tools such as lean thinking, clinical process mapping and patient flow analysis. A number of recent initiatives are presented that explain how to implement change at national, corporate, statewide and health care organisation levels.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Critically appraise relevant strategies to implement individual or organisational change in the healthcare environment based on validated theories and models; |
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| B. | Analyse the contextual factors that act as a stimulus for change, resistance to change and successful change in health care; |
| C. | Propose fundamental leadership skills necessary to implement organisational change and act as a change agent; |
| D. | Create a variety of ways in which complex issues can be effectively communicated for a variety of target audiences. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- Engage in and translate ongoing personal and professional development through inquiry, critical thinking and reflective practice. (1.1)
- Evaluate and synthesise expert knowledge and apply skills to address real-world problems in health and social care, informed by evidence. (2.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject is designed to assist students understand the complexities associated with implementing change in the multidisciplinary health service environment. Health services are continually changing to meet the needs of the community, and effective leadership is needed to successfully implement change. This subject addresses the challenges of managing change, and is conducted across four full-day workshops, with preparatory activities to be undertaken ahead of each workshop. This approach to teaching and learning is responsive to the needs of postgraduate students who need to balance study with their professional and personal commitments. It is anticipated that the knowledge and skills gained in this subject will allow graduates to appreciate the complexities of implementing change within health care environments and show leadership, whilst confidently implementing changes utilising change management and leadership models and theories.
Pre-session learning
Students access online learning resources such as podcasts, videos and literature prior to attending face-to-face on-campus workshops to improve their confidence in approaching the proposed content, afford them time to construct questions, and facilitate discussion in class, resulting in shared learning, experiences and reflections. The specific sessions will be detailed in this subject outline and all resources will be located on UTSOnline.
Case based scenarios and face-to-face collaboration
Contemporary Australian cases are used to help students explore the approaches to implementing and evaluating change in health care. Real and hypothetical cases will be used to depict situations related to effective and ineffective leadership, as well as successful and unsuccessful change initiatives. Students will collaborate and use these scenarios to learn concepts, interpret existing processes and procedures that require change, identify individual and organisational readiness for change, form judgements on the most appropriate methodology to guide change, and develop solutions to ensure change acceptance. Self, peer and teacher feedback is provided to develop students’ judgement.
Workshops and online learning materials
This subject benefits from both the real time delivery of content and access to resources via UTSOnline, including videos and other learning resources. Face-to-face on-campus sessions, in the form of workshops, enable students to explore theoretical models and discuss with their peers and academic staff how to implement these into daily practice. The workshops initially provide a variety of models and theories for each content area, followed by class discussion on which are best suited to likely situations in the health service environment. A number of industry representatives provide their experience in implementing change at a clinical process, local, statewide and national level, and reiterate lessons learnt in their change journey. Each on-campus day addresses a number of different components of change management.
Assessment range
Students will be exposed to a variety of assessment modes, including a construction of a brief video 'pitch', an essay, an in-class examination, and a team report and presentation of a hypothetical change initiative for a health service that is designed by the students. Feedback will be provided on assessments to ensure students can identify areas for development and areas of sufficient expertise. Some of the assessments will use a case study approach, with the student asked to assume a designated management role in a hypothetical health service.
Early low-stakes feedback will be provided via in-class discussions and activities.
Continual feedback will be provided via four methods:
- short discussions at the commencement of each workshop, focused on the preparatory activities posted online;?
- peer and Subject Coordinator contributions to the workshop discussions; and?
- progressive assessment tasks, worth 40%, 20% and 40%
Content (topics)
- Contemporary change theories
- Change leadership theories and styles
- Managing planned and unplanned organisational change
- Resistance to change and how to deal with resistance
- Personal and organisational development
- Health system reform
- Current approaches to assess efficiency and effectiveness of health services (such as six sigma, lean thinking, clinical service redesign, process mapping, patient flow analysis, video-reflexive methods)
- Case studies addressing change initiatives from a national, statewide, corporation, healthcare organisation and clinical process perspective
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Communicating Change as a Leader
| Intent: | This assessment focuses on the skills that healthcare services managers require to communicate the kinds of change initiatives that frequently occur in healthcare work, and to persuade staff (or other stakeholders) to cooperate with the change. Your success will depend on the case you make for change, as well as the manner in which you communicate it. This assessment addresses face-to-face communication, such as in a presentation to staff, or perhaps a video shared on the staff intranet. This assessment will give you the opportunity to:
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C and D This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .0, .1, .1, .2, .2 and 1.1 |
| Type: | Essay |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | 3-4 minute video + 1500 word essay |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment task 2: Case study responses
| Intent: | This assessment item focuses on the ability to synthesise all the content delivered in this subject and apply it to two case studies. It is important to be able to review real scenarios and provide guidance as to what the leadership and change issues are and which strategies would be useful to implement. This assessment item will reveal to the student how much they have learned about leadership and change, and provide them with the confidence that they can apply these concepts in a hypothetical situation. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B and C This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .0, .1 and 1.1 |
| Type: | Examination |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 60 minute extended response examination |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment task 3: Implementation of change initiative
| Intent: | This assessment item focuses on the implementation of a change initiative, and exposes students to the complexities of implementing change in a health setting from the planning phase to the evaluation phase. Addressing the task from a group perspective reflects contemporary practice within a healthcare setting, where any successful change requires the efforts of a range of staff and allocation of components that suit each person’s strengths. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C and D This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .0, .0, .1, .2 and 2.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 3500 words (report style) |
| Criteria: | Groupwork Report (30% of total subject mark):
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Assessment task 4: Individual Reflection
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment task is to critically reflect on the implementation of change and to allow students to reflect on group dynamics in relation to implementation of change initiatives and how this understanding impacts their role as a change agent. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A and D This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .0 and .2 |
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 10% |
| Length: | 500 words (first person reflection style) |
| Criteria: |
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Required texts
There is no specific text for this subject, although students will need to consult the e-readings listed on UTSOnline
Recommended texts
Please see the workshop descriptions for key e-readings related to each topic covered in this subject.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
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Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
Details for student centres: www.uts.edu.au/current-students/contacts/general-contacts
For other resources/ information refer to the Faculty of Health website (www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-health), the Health Student Guide (www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/uts-health-student-guide.pdf) and UTSOnline at: https://online.uts.edu.au/webapps/login/
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: lib.uts.edu.au, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: (02) 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.
HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.