Managing uncertainty in the organisation of healthcare draws upon key managerial insights into the management of risk and uncertainty in contemporary systems of healthcare, with a specific emphasis on management of healthcare service delivery and organisation. The module begins with an introduction to general management principles of risk and uncertainty. Subsequently the module explores the nature of risk and uncertainty in the context of healthcare, in which notions of safety are paramount and the costs and visibility of organisational failures are high. The module further explores the impact upon decision making of increasingly complex systems of healthcare through different organisational forms (bureaucracy, market, network) and at different levels (policy, organisation, profession). The module considers values such as efficiency and effectiveness, and the role of knowledge and domain (e.g. health economics and implementation science in attempting to rationalise professional and managerial decision-making). The module concludes with an examination of new technologies and their impact upon risk, safety and uncertainty in healthcare.
Contact hours: 24
Private Study hours: 126
Total hours: 150
Masters in Healthcare Management (compulsory module)
Main assessment methods
Coursework - Group presentation - 20%
Coursework - Individual report, (3,000 words) - 80%
* The individual report must be passed in order to pass the module.
Re-assessment method
100% coursework.
• Ahrne, G., & Brunsson, N. (2008). Meta-organizations. Cheltenham, UK; Edward Elgar.
• Alaszewski, A. and Brown, P. (2012). Making health policy: A critical introduction. Polity.
• Brown P, Calnan M. (2010). The risks of managing uncertainty: the limitations of governance and choice, and the potential for trust. Social Policy and Society, 9 (1):13.
• Calnan M. (2020). Health policy: in sickness and in health. In Handbook on Society and Social Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing (Chapter 23).
• Grote, G. (2009). Management of uncertainty. London; Springer.
• Rutter H, Wolpert M, Greenhalgh T (2020). Managing uncertainty in the covid-19 era. British Medical Journal, Sep 1; 370.
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Critically evaluate key approaches to managing risk and uncertainty and their application to healthcare organisations.
8.2 Apply comprehensive knowledge and a systematic understanding of recent innovative management research and practice to address specific organisational challenges in healthcare.
8.3 Critically reflect upon and evaluate the sources and consequences of uncertainty in decision-making at different levels (political, organisational, professional) in healthcare.
8.4 Critically discuss how inter-agency working and communication can both challenge and support effective risk assessment and management planning.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Critically analyse and research problems systematically and creatively.
9.2 Self-manage work in a complex and interdisciplinary context.
9.3 Communicate effectively to a variety of audiences and/or using a variety of methods.
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