The Clinical Management course in the Health Engineering Degree provides students with the foundational knowledge required to understand healthcare systems and healthcare organization, with a practical perspective aligned with the professional role of the Health Engineer. The course addresses the main domains of contemporary healthcare management: international models of healthcare systems and their applicability to our context, the organization and management of healthcare institutions and services, quality of care, patient safety, resource management, information systems and financing models.
Titular Professors
No prior knowledge is required.
The objectives of the course are:
- To acquire fundamental knowledge in healthcare management and planning, in order to apply it in the field of health engineering.
- To analyze and compare healthcare models, their organization, and healthcare institutions.
- To interpret and design outcome and efficiency indicators, manage resources and healthcare technologies, and understand emerging models based on value, quality, and patient safety.
1.- Introduction to Clinical and Healthcare Management
Overview of healthcare management and the professional role of the Health Engineer.
Fundamental principles and objectives of clinical management in healthcare systems.
The importance of optimisation, resource management and patient safety in healthcare settings.
2.- Comparative Analysis of Healthcare Models
International healthcare models: Bismarck, Beveridge, out-of-pocket and mixed systems.
Key differences in service delivery, financing and access.
Relevance of these models in the global context and their applicability to Catalonia and Spain.
3.- The Spanish National Health System and the Catalan Healthcare System
History and evolution of the SNS and the Catalan healthcare system.
The decentralisation process in Spain and the role of the autonomous regions in healthcare management.
The role of CatSalut and the integrated care system (SISCAT).
Structure of the Catalan healthcare system and integration of public and private providers.
4.- Organisation of Healthcare Institutions
Primary Care: structure, organisation and the role of Health Engineers in optimisation.
Intermediate Care: day hospitals, long-term care and rehabilitation services.
Hospital Management: organisation of hospital care and specialised units.
The importance of integrating services across all levels of care.
5.- Value-Based Healthcare, Patient Safety and Quality Management
From activity-based care to Value-Based Healthcare (PROMs/PREMs, Triple/Quadruple Aim).
Patient safety as a core function (WHO, Joint Commission, safety indicators and Just Culture).
Continuous improvement and redesign of clinical pathways (Lean, process optimisation).
Relationship between value, quality and financing (including DPO) and the role of Health Engineers.
6.- Health Indicators and Performance Measurement
Types of health indicators: outcome, process and structure.
Use of indicators to assess healthcare system performance.
The role of engineers in designing and interpreting data for continuous improvement.
7.- Coordination of Healthcare Resources
Concept of resource management in healthcare: staff, equipment and finances.
Technologies in healthcare management: EHR, telemedicine and information systems.
How technology enables resource allocation and optimises care delivery.
8.- Healthcare Financing and Sustainability
Overview of financing mechanisms in healthcare systems.
Budgeting, cost control and resource allocation at national and regional level.
Sustainability in healthcare: designing financially sustainable systems, especially in the context of population ageing.
9.- Performance-Based Management in CatSalut
Overview of the performance-based model linked to outcomes and quality.
Pay-for-performance (P4P) Contracting: Fixed component and variable component linked to indicators.
Role of Health Engineers: implementation of data systems and resource optimisation.
Indicators used: outcome, process and efficiency to assess provider performance.
10.- Emerging Trends and Future Challenges in Clinical Management
Digital health and telemedicine: innovations and impact on healthcare management.
Transition towards patient-centred care and implications for management.
Preparing healthcare systems for new challenges (pandemics, political crises, ageing, etc.).
11.- Leadership, Innovation and Bioethics in Clinical Management
Importance of leadership and management skills in healthcare settings.
Innovation as a driver of change: new models, technologies and services.
Bioethics in clinical management: patient rights, justice and responsibility.
The Clinical Management course will combine theoretical sessions with practical activities aimed at applying concepts to real situations within the healthcare system. Teaching will alternate between lectures and flipped-classroom sessions, case analysis and discussion on the organisation and operation of health services, and workshops focused on interpreting indicators, data and management tools. Activities will include guided problem-solving and case analysis, supervised assignments, cooperative learning tasks, and simulated environments related to the planning and improvement of healthcare services. Students will be required to complete and submit assignments to the lecturer, as well as participate in activities carried out and/or presented in class, with the aim of fostering active participation, analytical skills, and decision-making in professional contexts.
Students will be assessed through a continuous and global evaluation of competencies in Clinical Management, including case study analysis, a group final project, and theoretical exams, with particular emphasis on analytical skills, data-driven improvement proposals, collaborative work, and the consolidation of knowledge, with minimum requirements across components to pass the course and resit opportunities in the extraordinary examination period.
The assessment criteria for Clinical Management are: to identify healthcare management models and decision-making processes, understand quality, safety, and healthcare regulation, apply planning and coordination of resources and technologies, analyze performance indicators, and assume ethical and professional responsibility considering patient diversity.
- Revista Econòmica de Catalunya. Salut i Sistema Sanitari. Núm. 81. Barcelona: Col·legi d?Economistes de Catalunya; 2020. https://www.coleconomistes.cat/Canales/Ficha.aspx?IdMenu=1e333773-ef9d-4d24-a878-86732e3a51dd&Cod=fc367d11-cb0b-48f2-8d69-2e4ecf6ddfd7&Idioma=ca-ES - Generalitat de Catalunya. Atenció Integrada Social i Sanitària de Catalunya (AISS). Conceptualització. Barcelona: Departament de Salut; 2022. https://scientiasalut.gencat.cat/bitstream/handle/11351/11375/atencio_integrada_social_sanitaria_conceptualitzacio_2022.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y - Casado M. Bioética en la gestión hospitalaria. 3a ed. Barcelona: Fundación Grünenthal; 2006. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301132206_La_bioetica_en_la_gestion_hospitalaria - Elvira D, Sampietro L. El sistema sanitario. Barcelona: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC); 2019. (Mòdul docent) https://openaccess.uoc.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/898ce4af-53ed-4991-91b6-806ebcd4edee/content - European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Efficiency of Healthcare Systems in the European Union States ? Who Performs Better ? Bismarckians or Beveridgeans? 2023. https://ersj.eu/journal/2725/download/Efficiency+of+Healthcare+Systems+in+the+European+Union+States++Who+Performs+Better++Bismarckians+or+Beveridgeans.pdf - CatSalut. Contraprestació per resultats (CPR) ? Portal institucional [Internet]. Available from: https://catsalut.gencat.cat/ca/proveidors-professionals/documentacio-professionals/planificacio-operativa/contraprestacio-resultats-CPR/index.html Fundació Pere Tarrés / Taula del Tercer Sector. L?atenció integrada sociosanitària: una perspectiva europea. Relatoria de Debats Europa Social. 2022. https://www.tercersector.cat/documents/relatoria-debat-europa-social-latencio-integrada-sociosanitaria-una-perspectiva-europea - Sacristán JA, Oliva J et al. Health care systems in the European Union countries: Health characteristics and indicators 2019. Ministerio de Sanidad; 2019. https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/docs/presentacion_en.pdf
Check the electronic folder for the course.