96342 Using Health Care Data for Decision Making
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Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 92917 Using Health Care Data for Decision Making
Description
This subject provides students with opportunities to learn about making effective decisions using health data and about the considerable potentials offered by the growing pools of health data being captured by digital systems throughout the health and social care systems.
Through participation in this subject, students gain foundational skills to understand health data, and come to appreciate the importance of data integrity and quality. While this subject is not aimed at making students data analysts or data scientists, it is important students appreciate the importance of the analysis and interpretation of health data, and do so by learning how to explore and manipulate data that are assembled to replicate real patient data to both generate and answer questions be this for managerial or clinical purposes. Students look at how and for what purposes we use analysed data and consider how to effectively communicate health data through data visualisation and data sharing, to translate health data into health information and knowledge for decision-making.
Guest lecturers, industry experts and real world examples highlight the data driven environment of healthcare. In this way, the subject enables students to make connections to other subjects in the MHSM course and encourages them to think about the relationship of health data and information to their role of as a manager and leader in health and social care now and into the future.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Analyse the contextual factors that impact the ability of health data and information to meet clinical, operational and strategic needs. |
|---|---|
| B. | Analyse and apply data management and governance functions to ensure data quality. |
| C. | Apply data analytics frameworks, skills and techniques to uncover patterns and trends in datasets. |
| D. | Identify and explain patterns and trends in data sets. |
| E. | Identify and appraise ways of reporting and communicating data. |
| F. | Apply the analysis of health care data to problem solving and decision making. |
| G. | Examine and discuss the relationship between data and healthcare decision making. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- Critique, interpret and synthesise data and research findings to develop safe, effective and evidence-based solutions to healthcare challenges (1.1)
- Propose relevant problem-solving and human factors theories to the analysis of common issues inherent in the management and evaluation of healthcare services (1.2)
- Justify and demonstrate appropriate leadership styles and skills necessary to manage, evaluate and innovate healthcare services utilising contemporary local, national and international perspectives (2.1)
- Validate the importance of integrating stakeholder partnerships in all healthcare decision-making activities (3.2)
- Communicate effectively and appropriately in challenging, complex and diverse situations (4.0)
- Determine and recommend modes of communication necessary to optimise outcomes across differing audiences, purposes and contexts within healthcare practice (4.2)
- Demonstrate respect and value for world view differences and in particular Australian Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing (5.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject is designed to assist students to understand the complexities and nuances associated with health data. This subject is taught using a variety of teaching and learning strategies. The strategies used emphasise active and applied approaches to developing students’ ability to understand health data and information, and apply this knowledge to generate practical solutions in using data to aid decision making in clinical practice, population health, policy and strategy development, financial, administrative and planning, and for consumer engagement and participation.
An overarching theme of the approaches to teaching and learning is to support students to actively learn with the support of a facilitator who can assist and coach them. Understanding and critical thinking skills will be encouraged via a range of activities, including but not limited to:
- Learning via online resources with active engagement opportunities with the subject content
- Thought-provoking and interactive content that stimulates thinking, promotes understand and supports analysis and evaluation
- Problem solving, discovery-based and critical thinking activities via a range of guided stepwise and self-directed learning opportunities.
- Learning that is supported by real world examples, case studies, illustrations and data.
- Opportunities for students to reflect on, explain and record their input under advice and guidance.
Assessment range
Students will be given the opportunity to undertake a variety of assessments. Formative and summative feedback will be provided throughout the subject.
- Early low-stakes feedback will be provided via the results for the first assessment task, worth 20%
- Progressive assessment tasks, worth 20%, 30%, and 50%
Content (topics)
- Understanding data driven healthcare
- Perspectives on, and uses of, health data
- Types and sources of health data
- Health data concepts
- Data analytics and interpretation of health data
- Exploiting data sets and data streams using contemporary analytics tools
- Reporting and communicating information and insights from data
- Presenting and visualising data
- Using data for decision making across the care continuum
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Quiz
| Intent: | This assessment item is an early, low-stakes assessment item that focuses on your understanding of key concepts of health data covered in modules 1 and 2 including: perspectives on data, data management and governance, data quality, generation of data, types of health data, data collections and sources, data linkage, metadata, big data. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.1, 1.2, 3.2 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 60 minutes |
| Criteria: | One correct response per question – marks and feedback shown at closure of all submissions. |
Assessment task 2: Short Answer Repsonses
| Intent: | This assessment task will provide students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills relating to principles, techniques and statistical concepts involved in the analyse and interpretation of health data. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.1, 1.2, 4.0 and 4.2 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 1200 words (each response approx. 400 words) |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment task 3: Reporting Health Data
| Intent: | This assessment task will provide students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained throughout the subject to analyse and interpret data, and to present the insights and information generated in a report that would be used by managers and leaders to inform their decision making processes. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 4.0 and 4.2 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | 2000 words |
| Criteria: |
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Required texts
There is no prescribed text for this subject. Links to references and electronic resources will be made available on Canvas.
References
Links to references and additional resources are provided on Canvas.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
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) and Canvas at: https://canvas.uts.edu.au/.
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.
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