Global Health, 7.5 credits

120 credits in health care or medicine.
To participate in the second part of the course the student must have fulfilled the course requirements for part one.

The aim of the course is for the students to achieve an understanding of the concept global health, more specifically to understand how the income level of a country affects health status and health indicator as well as critically reflect on differences in health determinants and health systems between and within countries.

After the course the student should be able to:​

• Describe how health and illness, mortality and morbidity are measured in a population and how they change over time, but also between data sources
• Analyze the health of a population using health indicators in order to identify an essential health challenge and generate an intervention to improve the identified problem
• Discuss how economic and social factors as well as environmental factors determine the health and access to health-care services of individuals and a population.
• Compare the variation in the availability and type of care and quality within and between countries over time and compare this to the Swedish health care system   
• Know how different professions collaborate and share tasks in health care in weak health systems with resource scarcity and compare it to high income countries
• Discuss how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and human rights can affect health in a population 

During the first part of the course the growing amount of information in global health will be discussed. The second part gives the opportunity to experience-based understanding for the conditions for health care in low- and lower middle-income countries, as well as an understanding for the roles of different professions within a healthcare system that has another structure and another resource level than our own. Meeting health care staff in both urban and rural settings gives new perspectives to the work with health care in weak health care systems with high burden of disease. The mix of learning to understand and interpret global health in theory with the personal experience of another reality abroad is an important incentive to leave old ideas about the world and adopt an evidence-based, modern view of the world. 

Lectures by faculty, including many different professions with extensive international experience. Individual and group studies on health development and specific health problems in the country the student will be going to, in relation to both regional and global development. Individual work with statistical data using computer programs, web-based information and discussions with resource persons at KI in seminars.

The assessment of the students for part 1 is based on "Daily questions", where students are to analyse and discuss an issue related to the lectures given that same day and answer through the KI student web system PingPong within a given time. To pass, the students are to attend actively at all seminars, given during the course at KI. If a student fails to pass the Daily questions there will be a written re-examination. If a student fails to pass a seminar there will be a written assignment on the same theme, or an individual oral exam with a member of faculty.

The assessment of the students for part 2 is based on active participation of the students during the study visits and seminars, organised in collaboration with the partner university responsible for the two course weeks abroad. If a student fails a seminar it is to be compensated for with written hand-in task or oral exam with a member of faculty.

After cancellation or major renewal of the course, examination will be provided at least twice (not counting the original examination) during a time of one year after the date when the change was made.

The course is evaluated in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Education
 
The official language of the course is English, but if all attending are speaking Swedish, Swedish may be used.