There were two articles that I read today that contribute to how science teachers might use case studies (sometimes based on articles in the press or magazines, or actual cases written for students and teachers). The cases and/or artices could to create a context relevant to student dialogue, discussion & inquiry. The first article was about about the effect the lack of health insurance has on working-age Americans, and the second article was on the effect of Mexico’s Universal Health Insurance on household expenses and health.

In an article published in the American Journal of Public Health and reported on Harvard Science website, researcher’s from Harvard Medical School found that nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance. As one of the author’s said “We doctors have many new ways to prevent deaths from hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease — but only if patients can get into our offices and afford their medications.”

In another article reported on Medical News Today and published in an upcoming issue of The Lancet, the authors explore findings of Mexico’s pilot universal health insurance system (Seguro Popular). They report that Seguro Popular, designed to extend health insurance and regular and preventive medical care, pharmaceuticals, and health facilities to 50 million uninsured Mexicans, has reduced catastrophic health expenses for poor families, and appears to be a successful program in the communities in which the study was based. As one of the researchers said, “That Mexico may now have a validated architecture for delivering health services to the poor seems to be the most surprising and encouraging result from this experiment. We found that the stewardship of Seguro Popular has been successful in reducing overall catastrophic and out-of-pocket expenditures for inpatient and outpatient medical procedures, especially in the poorest individuals.”

Each of these articles could be used as starting points for an exploration of health care, not only in the US, but in other countries as well. To what extent can it propsed that care should be a universal expectation?

One strategy that many science teachers have used over the years to explore issues in science teaching is the case study method. A valuable resource for an inventory of cases is The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. You will find cases in many categories, including those related to health science including Medical Ethics, Medicine/Health, Pharmacy, and Molecular Biology/Genetics. For each case, you will a link to the case study, including a set of questions for inquiry discussion, and teaching notes which includes background, context for the case, objectives, teaching methods, and references. One case you might find relevant today is A Case Study Involving Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine.

What are some examples of cases or articles that you would like to share?