The Institute of Medicine defines patient safety as the prevention of harm to patients implying a broad focus on a system of care delivery aiming at:
- preventing errors;
- learning from existing errors; and
- building on a culture of safety that involves health care professionals at various levels, organizations and patients.
The effective implementation of patient safety and clinical risk management policies require you to be committed to education and training to practice harm prevention safely.
The course focuses on:
- Basic principles of patient safety and clinical risk management
- Systems analysis and quality improvement scientific techniques
- Leadership, teamwork, human factors and communication
- Systematic approaches to evidence-based patient safety and clinical risk management
- Application of tools and practices to enhance patient safety and to manage clinical risk in context.
You will be required to work on a 60 ECTS dissertation.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines patient safety as the prevention of harm to patients implying a broad focus on a system of care delivery aiming at:
- preventing errors;
- learning from existing errors; and
- building on a culture of safety that involves health care professionals at various levels, organizations and patients.
The World Health Organization defines clinical risk management as specifically concerned with improving the quality and safety of health-care services by identifying the circumstances and opportunities that put patients at risk of harm and acting to prevent or control those risks. An adverse event is an incident that results in harm to the patient. The effective implementation of patient safety and clinical risk management policies do not just require human, financial and other resources, but rather the commitment of individuals to be educated and trained to practise safely. Preventing adverse events is a crucial role and responsibility of management and clinicians.
The programme of study includes topics which focus on:
- Basic principles of patient safety and clinical risk management
- Systems analysis and quality improvement scientific techniques
- Leadership, teamwork, human factors and communication
- Systematic approaches to evidence-based patient safety and clinical risk management
- Application of tools and practices to enhance patient safety and to manage clinical risk in context.
Following this part of the programme, students will be required to work on a 60 ECTS dissertation.
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Semester 2   (February 2025 - June 2025) | |||||
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Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s) | |||||
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HSM5121* | Dissertation | 60 ECTS   |   | ||
* Work on the dissertation is expected to start in Semester 2 of academic year 2024-25 (February 2025) and continue up to the end of Semester 1 of academic year 2026-27 (January 2027).   |
This programme of study is governed by the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2021 and by the Bye-Laws for the award of Master of Science - M.Sc. - under the auspices of the Faculty Health Sciences.In addition to the prescribed 60 ECTS credits for the year, students can apply to the Board to register for the extra study-unit listed hereunder. Extra study-units cannot substitute compulsory, elective or optional study-units that form part of the official Senate-approved programme of studies, and do not count towards the Year Average Mark or towards the Final Weighted Average Mark.Year 1HSC5111Research Methods for Health Care Professionals - 10 ECTS The conditions and criteria for Extra study-units can be accessed here .