Unit Outline

Pathophysiology for Health Care builds on your knowledge of anatomy and physiology to develop an understanding of the principles of pathophysiology and alterations in the health of the body systems. Clinical reasoning will be used to analyse clinical scenarios to understand the presentation of people with common health problems and the rationale and aim of therapeutic interventions. You will be expected to develop written and oral skills that will facilitate intraprofessional, interprofessional, and patient communication of biological and therapeutic information. The knowledge that you develop in this unit will support your clinical reasoning and ongoing learning in other units within your course and your practice as a health professional who delivers evidence-informed health care.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Explain pathophysiological processes of acute and chronic health conditions.
2	Analyse health case scenarios to explain the presentation of people with common health conditions.
3	Explain common therapeutic interventions used in the management of people with acute and chronic health conditions.
4	Communicate information relevant to alterations in the body systems using terminology appropriate for other health professionals.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CXA137 Anatomy and Physiology for Health Care

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In this second iteration, we have incorporated the rationale and aim of therapeutic interventions to the common disorders and diseases covered in this unit. This provides foundational understanding of evidence-based practices to provide optimal health care.
Assessment task 1 (AT1) now consists of in-class, invigilated quizzes with questions related to MyLO content and activities in the tutorial workbook, completed at each tutorial. Students will be able to access the tutorial workbook as they complete the quiz, but no other resources or GenAI will be allowed.
We encourage students to provide feedback during the semester by writing to the unit email address on CXA144@utas.edu.au.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Tutorial quizzes	Week 3	15 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Case Scenarios Assignment 1	Week 4	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Case Scenarios Assignment 2	Week 8	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Video Presentation	Week 12	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Tutorial quizzes

Task Description:

In this assessment task you will attempt an online quiz during each weekly tutorial. Access to the quiz will be enabled by a password provided in class. Quiz questions will assess related MyLO content and the activities in the tutorial workbook. You can access the tutorial workbook as you complete the quiz, but no other resources or GenAI are allowed.
The first two quizzes will be for practice only. Your best six results from the other eight quizzes will contribute marks towards your final unit result.

Task Length:

Up to 10 questions, in the last 15 minutes of each tutorial.

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply knowledge to identify the pathophysiological basis for the patient’s health condition.	LO1
2	Apply knowledge to explain common signs and symptoms presented by patients with the health condition.	LO2
3	Apply knowledge to explain the rationale and aim of therapeutic interventions.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Case Scenarios Assignment 1

Task Description:

In this assessment task you will be provided with a case study that includes relevant patient information. You will apply clinical reasoning to explain the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the presentation, and progression of the patient’s condition.

The questions will require you to:
• consider the patient situation and identify cues (signs and symptoms) from clinical information provided.
• process this information by analysing and explaining the relevant physiology and pathophysiology underpinning the patient presentation and progression.

It is expected that you will engage with scholarly literature to substantiate your clinical reasoning.

Further information and guidance for completing this assessment task is provided via MyLO.

Task Length:

500 words.

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the pathophysiological basis for the patient's health condition.	LO1
2	Relate signs and symptoms to relevant physiological and pathophysiological processes.	LO2
3	Explain the patient’s health condition and presentation using appropriate clinical and scientific terminology.	LO4
4	Substantiate your explanations using appropriate scholarly literature.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Case Scenarios Assignment 2

Task Description:

In this assessment task you will be provided with case studies that include relevant patient information and suggested therapeutic interventions. You will apply clinical reasoning to explain the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the presentation and progression of the patient’s condition, and the rationale and aim of therapy.

The questions will require you to:
• consider the patient situation and identify cues (signs and symptoms) from clinical information provided.
• process this information by analysing and explaining the relevant physiology and pathophysiology underpinning the patient presentation and progression.
• apply knowledge of physiology to explain the rationale and aim of suggested therapeutic interventions for that patient.

It is expected that you will engage with scholarly literature to substantiate your clinical reasoning.

Further information and guidance for completing this assessment task is provided via MyLO.

Task Length:

550 Words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the pathophysiological basis for the patient’s health condition.	LO1
2	Relate signs and symptoms to relevant physiological and pathophysiological processes.	LO2
3	Explain the rationale and aim of therapeutic interventions.	LO3
4	Explain the patient’s health condition, presentation and therapeutic interventions using appropriate clinical and scientific terminology.	LO4
5	Substantiate your explanations using appropriate scholarly literature	LO4

Assessment Task 4: Video Presentation

Task Description:

In this assessment task you will be provided with a case study that includes relevant patient information and suggested therapeutic interventions. You will apply clinical reasoning and your knowledge of physiological and pathophysiological processes to explain the rationale and aim of the therapeutic interventions.

This individual assessment will require you to submit a short role-playing video (6 min) for communication with another professional within a multi-disciplinary health care team. Further information and guidance for completing this assessment task will be provided via MyLO.

Task Length:

Electronic submission of video of 6 min in length in total.

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply knowledge of the pathophysiological basis for the patient’s health condition.	LO1, LO2
2	Explain the rationale and aim of therapeutic interventions.	LO3
3	Explain the patient’s health condition, presentation and therapeutic interventions using appropriate terminology.	LO4
4	Substantiate your explanations using contemporary evidence-based practice documents or clinical guidelines.	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.