Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease (PHCM9129)
This course provides participants with an overview of prevention and management of chronic disease in community settings as it is delivered in Australia and overseas.
With the rising burden of chronic illness, the prevention and management of chronic disease is a critical priority for health systems around the world. This course provides participants with an overview of prevention and management of chronic disease in community settings as it is delivered in Australia and overseas. It provides a framework for approaching the subject based on components of the Chronic Care Model developed by Wagner and others and promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). There are opportunities for reflecting on how this operates in a variety of settings and countries. Specific topics include:
- the burden of chronic disease in Australia and internationally
- chronic disease prevention
- integrated care for patients with chronic disease
- multi-morbidity
- multidisciplinary teamwork in the prevention and management of chronic disease
- self-management support and health literacy
- information systems and decision support
- healthcare organisation and funding.
A number of case studies are presented and discussed. Participants learn practical skills in analysing and evaluating approaches to chronic disease in a variety of settings, and identifying capacities and opportunities for change.
Mode of study
Blended (online plus a one-day workshop on-campus) for Internal students & fully online for Distance External students
Key contacts
Prof Mark Harris
Course Convenor
+61 (2) 9385 8384
m.f.harris@unsw.edu.au
Dr Catherine Spooner
Course Convenor
c.spooner@unsw.edu.au
- Who should do this course?
- Course outcomes
- Learning & teaching
- Assessments
- Readings & resources
Who should do this course?
This course is an elective course in the Master of Health Leadership and Management and Master of Public Health programs comprising 6 units of credit towards the total required for completion of the study program.
Course outcomes
The aim of this course is to enable you to understand the principles and practices of chronic disease prevention and management in the community. The course focuses on application in the Australian health system but also considers applications in other settings.
This course will enable you to:
- describe and critically evaluate the chronic care model and other theories underpinning our current approach to chronic disease prevention and management in the context of its application in Australia and globally
- analyse the impact and challenge of chronic disease within healthcare systems from the perspective of different stakeholders in Australia and globally
- evaluate the effectiveness of primary healthcare programs and strategies to prevent and manage chronic disease
- appraise innovations to address these issues and analyse translation of innovations into the health system.
Learning & teaching
Our educational approach in this course is to actively involve students in analysing and reflecting on how care is organised and delivered in the community. This is achieved by ensuring there are plenty of opportunities for discussion and opportunities for students themselves to present their own experiences and thoughts in small group discussions and presentations. We encourage a critical approach, both to what is presented in classes and to comparisons of the performance of primary health in different countries and states.
The course provides opportunities to further develop your analytic and evaluative skills and to work on projects related to your own workplaces or experience. Students are encouraged to relate what they have learnt to their own experience in the assignments and group discussions. The course will also be related to active areas of research including our own research in the prevention and management of chronic illness. This will include opportunities for guest presentations by other researchers and academics as a stimulus for discussion.
The course will also be related to active areas of research including our own research in the prevention and management of chronic illness. This will include guest presentations by other researchers and academics we have worked with.
Assessments
Assessment Task 1 – Online forum
Weighting: 50%
Assessment Task 2 – Critical review of an innovation in chronic disease prevention or management in the community
Weighting: 50%
Length: 2000 words
Readings & resources
Learning resources for this course consist of the following, all available in Moodle:
- course notes and readings
- lecture slides
- videos and podcast interviews.