exam questions to start working on

In the early part of the course we watched webcasts of two seminars, and I asked you to read the transcript of the seminars and journal articles associated with each seminar. Choose one of the two presenters/authors (Eisenberg or Cutler-Mclelland) and write a short essay (max 1000 words) that critically explains and summarizes the key-ideas and arguments of the author(s) about the "value of medical innovations".

Imagine the NZ Minister of Health has before her a proposal to make existing tax dollars go farther by funding only "cost effective" surgeries/drugs/medical devices, where cost effectiveness is defined operationally as those with a cost per QALY of $NZ50K. Based on this week's readings and class discussions write a short essay critically summarizing what you have learned about using cost benefit/utility/effectiveness analysis to measure and to value your own personal health (or possible lack of it) in $ terms, then use that to advise the Minister of Health on her decision. (Don't go overboard in terms of your writing here).

As we did in week 1: Clark uses 3 images - witches, floods , and wonder drugs - in his paper on risk and risk management. Write a critical essay summarising and explaining the key concepts, lessons and implications for “Risk as a people problem” he draws from each of these images, taking each one separately, and overall. and as a whole. What additional ideas does Tufte contribute to Clake's analysis of risk and risk management? (A good answer will contain not only a thorough critical exposition, but your thinking about connections with other material in the course or discussions in class or in blogs ).

Based on the discussions and analyses we do here, you can begin to develop an answer to one exam question in your blog is: Write a critical essay summarising and explaining the key concepts, arguments and implications about making decisions about diagnoses and treatments for important health issues identified by Gigerenzer in the assigned chapers from his book Calculated Risks. Briefly discuss how the concepts of uncertainty and risk management used by Gigerenzer relate to those used by Clark and Tufte [ you can refer back to your answer to the writing task in the previous week].(Note: connections with other material in the course or discussions in class or in blogs will be rewarded.)