Rationale
As future clinicians and health professionals you will be faced with many challenges in improving client and community health. Many of these challenges will derive from broader population health issues and you will need to understand these issues when identifying problems and developing solutions as part of a multidisciplinary system.
This assignment is an opportunity for you to scrutinise the broad range of services offered across the Australian health care system. It is an exercise that challenges you to consider the macro (social and environmental) forces that shape a person’s experience of (and likelihood of experiencing) health and illness, while making recommendations about what should change within the Australian health care system to foster more coordinated, patient-centred and holistic care.
Task
In week 10 tutorial and on vUWS, you will be presented with a list of case studies. Choose one case study to use for this assessment. You will be required to research complex determinants (biomedical, behavioural, social and environmental) shaping your chosen case study and analyse the adequacy of the services available in addressing these determinants (at each level). Each case study is comprised of a scenario detailing the health issue, a journal article and a media report (print, audio or video). The case studies cover the following issues:
Shift worker – fall-related injuries
Asthma
Syphilis in a small town
Breast cancer
Early childhood caries
Criteria
The assignment is assessed using the below criteria. See also the rubric guide on the next page that is designed to give you feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your essay and indicate areas of achievement and areas where you could improve.
Each case study report should include:
A description of the health issue relating to the case study, including prevalence and its impact on quality of life (using epidemiological data)
An analysis of the social and environmental determinants shaping the health issue
A description of the services available to those affected by the health issue and the place of these services within the Australian health care system
A critique of services tasked with addressing the health issue and are they preventative or reactive? Relate these services back to your specific case study.
A recommendation and conclusion for the health issue and the specific case study.
References
References must contain: one or more journal articles (in addition to those provided); one or more government reports (e.g., NSW Chief Health Officer’s Report); and a relevant website from a reputable source (e.g. VicHealth
Mark penalty applies for:
Submission to wrong Turnitin box
Late submission as per standard university penalty of 10% per day.
Over word limit by greater than 10%
