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Healthy Futures: How Can We Create the Most Effective Healthcare System?

Find out how to solve some of the world’s biggest healthcare problems and make a positive difference.

6,981 enrolled on this course

A group of healthcare professionals in conversation
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    6 hours
  • Digital upgrade

    Free
This course is part of the program Health Policy and Governance, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in Health Administration, Policy and Leadership and All Murdoch Programs. Find out more.

Learn how to design effective health responses

Health systems across the world are facing unprecedented challenges financially, socially and environmentally.

This course will provide you with an introduction to the skills and knowledge required to solve some of the world’s biggest health problems.

You’ll learn how public health policies affect our daily lives, and explore key philosophies in healthcare.

You’ll explore the determinants of health and their impact on individuals and communities.

You’ll find out how to design health responses to ensure that people can access the right care, in the right place and at the right time.

This course is part of our Study with Australia collection, with free upgrades and digital certificates supported by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission until 31st July, 2020. Explore more courses from leading Australian education providers.

Skip to 0 minutes and 13 seconds From our first breath to our last, our everyday lives are impacted by a myriad of factors affecting our health and wellbeing. What we eat, where we live, how much we exercise, our genetics, and the available health services, all play a part in determining the quality and duration of our lives and the healthcare we will require. Health systems are facing unprecedented challenges. Service providers, private health insurers, professional associations, pharmaceutical companies and community groups, are all among a varied collection of bodies with key roles in the health policy conundrum. In this course, you’ll be taking on the role of a key player involved in the crafting of health policy.

Skip to 1 minute and 2 seconds You’ll interact with a range of experts across disciplines and organisations, including public health, service providers, tech developers and health economics.

Skip to 1 minute and 13 seconds You’ll be: 1. Applying key concepts and philosophies that underpin health policy and governance;

Skip to 1 minute and 19 seconds Investigating the role of power, politics and ideology shaping health policy; 3. Examining governance arrangements and policy alternatives for cross cutting health issues; 4. Discussing the role of institutions and the policy context forging healthcare systems. Healthcare is complex, and rapidly evolving. Society is looking for its innovative, responsive and socially-aware leaders to take on the many challenges facing our health systems. Take on the role in this course and you will have the opportunity to design effective health responses and ensure people receive the right care, delivered at the right time, by the right team, in the right place, with the right resources. Trailer footage is (c) Getty Images.

What topics will you cover?

  • The impacts of health policy on our daily lives
  • Key concepts and philosophies of healthcare
  • Determinants of health and their impact on individuals and groups
  • Rise of healthcare expenditure
  • Achieving universal health coverage
  • Global environmental change and how it affects health

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe and compare major philosophies of health care and how they impact on health policy making
  • Identify the key characteristics of selected international health systems, based on governance, funding and provision
  • Identify and articulate the determinants of health
  • Demonstrate understanding of terminology in the context of health
  • Identify large scale healthcare challenges and describe how different health policy mechanisms are being used to tackle them

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at people who are looking to grow their knowledge and skills in the health policy and governance industry.

What do people say about this course?

"It has been fruitful three weeks with a lot of learning on universal health coverage, health expenditures, and global environmental change. I thank Ana Rita and the team for leading us through these three weeks. I really enjoyed the sessions. I will make an effort to follow other courses coming up."

"A highly educational and challenging course with innovative and interactive components throughout. Totally worth while."

Who will you learn with?

Dr Ana Rita Sequeira is a lecturer and researcher in the Health Administration, Policy and Leadership Program at the Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy and International, Murdoch University.

Who developed the course?

Murdoch University

Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia.

  • Established

    1973
  • Location

    Perth, Western Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 410Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

What's included?

Murdoch University are offering everyone who joins this course a free digital upgrade, so that you can experience the full benefits of studying online for free. This means that you get:

  • Unlimited access to this course
  • Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes
  • A PDF Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you’re eligible
  • Learning on FutureLearn

    Your learning, your rules

    • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
    • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
    • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

    Join a global classroom

    • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
    • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
    • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

    Map your progress

    • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
    • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
    • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

    Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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    Advance your career with a degree

    Since 2017 you have been able to take a degree on FutureLearn. This free course is a bit like a starter course for a degree — it should give you a flavour of the degree subject but can also be your first step towards a degree qualification.

    If you enjoy this course you can apply to join the program it’s part of to start working towards a degree on FutureLearn.

    Don’t worry, you can still take the course without doing a full degree!

    Do the free course
    Join and complete the program
    Get academic credit for an online degree from Murdoch University
    This course is part of the program Health Policy and Governance, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in Health Administration, Policy and Leadership and All Murdoch Programs.

    Get a taste of this course

    Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:

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