Social Medicine - GM, 4th year
Syllabus of the course
Syllabus
Social medicine – origin, development, scope, its position in the system of medical sciences. History of medicine and health care. Philosophy of medicine. Basics of medical law. Legal liability in health care. Health and disease: concepts, models, determinants, classification systems. Social determinants and health inequities. Health systems and health financing. Study of population health: sources of information, measures, methods of assessment. International Red Cross: mission, principles, tasks. World Health Organization: structure, mission, tasks, programmes, strategies. Quality in health care: definitions, dimensions, quality management models in health care. Health and human rights. Evidence-based medicine: definition, principles, steps. Gender based violence and the role of healthcare professionals
Knowledge:
After successful completion of the course student will be able to
- Understand the scope, mission and tasks of social medicine.
- Identify the most important periods from the history of medicine.
- Demonstrate the basic knowledge from philosophy of medicine.
- Describe the methods of population health assessment.
- Describe the models and theories of health and disease, their determinants.
- Describe the role of social factors in shaping the health of individuals and populations.
- Understand the basic principles of health financing.
- Know the basics of medical law and basic legal obligations of physician.
- Understand the principles of quality improvement and patient safety in health care.
- Understand the obligation to protect human rights in medical practice.
- Describe the main principles and steps in evidence-based medicine.
- Understand the roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals in relation to gender based violence
Skills:
After successful completion of the course student will be able to:
- Measure and assess the health status of the population.
- Analyze the health inequities in relation to social determinants.
- Compare and analyze different types of health systems.
- Discuss and apply the health legislation and principles of medical law in health care.
- Discuss the role of international organizations in promotion and protection of health.
- Apply the principles of quality improvement and patient safety in medical practice.
- Identify and resolve human rights issues in medical practice.
- Search and apply the evidence-based approaches in medical practice.
- Apply the principles and concepts of adressing the gender based violence in medical practice
Lectures and seminars
The lectures will be online, practicals on-site.
- The seminars will be on-site from in the form of "block teachning. at the Institute of Social Medicine and Medical Ethics, Sasinkova 2. Seminars of one group will be in the seminar room on the 3rd floor, and seminars with two groups will be on the 4th floor.
- Seminars on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will start at 8:30
- Seminars on Thursday and Friday will start at 9:00.
- The schedule and the topics of the seminars are available HERE
- The instructions and study materials for each topic are available in the Teams l (They will be published not later than February 14). You should read the instructions and study materials before each seminar and be prepared for each topic according to the instructions and study materials.
- Lectures - video presentations and presentations in pdf format will be downloaded im MS Teams. Live online discussions (Q&A sessions) will be planned according to the schedule in the 1st week of the semester. You will receive the invitation link for the discussion session in MS Teams. The schedule of the lectures
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Lectures Social Medicine, 4GM, 2024/2025 | |||
Date, place | Topic | Teacher |
|
Monday 17.2.2025 Online Q&A session 18:00-19:00 | Measures of population health | assoc. prof. Michaela Kostičová, MD, PhD., MPH |
|
Tuesday 18.2.2025 Online Q&A session 18:00-19:00 | Healthcare Workforce | Silvia Capíkova,LLM et MA, PhD. |
|
Wednesday 19.2.2025 Online Q&A session 18:00-19:00 | World Health Organization International Red Cross
| Silvia Capíkova,LLM et MA, PhD. |
|
Thursday 20.2.2025 Face to face: room M6, Moskovska 2 17:30-19:20 | Health and Human Rights | Gregory Fabian, JD |
|
Friday 23.2.2022 Online Q&A session 17:00-18:00 | Quality in Healthcare | assoc. prof. Michaela Kostičová, MD, PhD., MPH |
|
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Absence at the practicals - instructions for the substitution
The absence at the practical is acceptable only from serious reasons.The absence must be substituted in two ways:
- Joining the practical with the same topic with other study group. Please be aware of the missed topic, each group has the different order of the practicals and topics. Check the topic on the schedule of seminars.
- In case the student can not substitute the absence by attending the practical with other group he or she cna prepare the seminar work on the topic of missed practical. Instructions:
- Contact the teacher responsible for specific topic by e-mail to ask for the specific instructions. Send the work to the teacher by e-mail at least three days before the exam
- The work must be approved by the teacher, other way, student can not do the exam.
- General requirements: Length of the work - minimum 2 pages (1 page = 30 lines). Title page is not counted. Format - letter font Times New Roman; size 12; line spacing 1,5; page margins - all 2,5 cm. The list of references should be included at the end of the work. Only scientific articles, documents, publications are allowed to be used, no popular articles, sources such as Wikipedia etc.The references must be cited in the text.
Final exam
- The exam will be oral, face to face in the week following the week of the block teaching. The dates will be discussed with each group during the seminar on Tuesday with the head of the Institute assoc. prof. Kosticova.
- Only students who have completed all the seminars can take the exam.
- Registration for the exam will be open in AIS every Tuesday from 21:00 for groups starting a block of seminars in a given week.
- Instructions for the exam including study materials and exam topics you will find in MS Teams
Study materials
Textbooks:
1.Kostičová M., Capíková S., Levy L., Rokusek C., Sedláková D., Silvagni A., Solovič. Social Medicine, Bratislava: Comenius University in Bratislava, 2015.
You can download the textbook HERE or you can borrow the textbook at FM Academic Library
2.Kostičová M., Ozorovský V., Badalík L., Fabian G. Introduction to Social Medicine. Bratislava: Asklepios, 2011.
You can download the textbook HERE or you can buy the textbook at the bookstore at our faculty.
More study materials, presentations of the lectures from the practicals nad lectures available in MS Team.

