Online
Introduction
This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary healthcare quality and safety with a focus on patient centered care. You will explore the various definitions of healthcare quality and safety, and the foundations of patient safety and quality improvement design within the healthcare arena and their own individual practice. Using quality and safety as a framework, you will examine trends in critical incidents in healthcare that result in adverse outcomes for patients. Applying methods to assess the delivery of quality patient-centred care and critically appraising work practices on an individual level will provide a basis for identifying current gaps in quality and safety. This unit also introduces assessment tools and analytic methods for quality and safety in healthcare and the role of organisational change preparing for successful initiatives in the workplace intended to improve quality and safety. “Good care is more than the absence of bad” (Balding, 2013)
Summary
| Unit name | Healthcare Quality and Safety: A Patient-Centred Approach |
| Unit code | CAM540 |
| Credit points | 12.5 |
| College/School | Health School of Medicine |
| Discipline | Medicine |
| Coordinator | Associate Professor Sarah Prior |
| Delivered By | University of Tasmania |
| Level | Postgraduate |
Sustainable Development Goals
The Unit Coordinator has identified that this unit aligns with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on the alignment of the unit with these goals.
Availability
Specific information on 2027 unit availability will be available in August
Key Dates
| Study Period | Start date | Census date | WW date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | 21/2/2027 | 15/3/2027 | 18/4/2027 | 12/6/2027 |
* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).
Unit census dates currently displaying for 2027 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2027 will be available from the 1st October 2026. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the various definitions of, and national and international frameworks supporting, healthcare quality and safety, and how they relate to current practice in healthcare systems;
- Apply theory, improvement methodologies and patient-centred frameworks to health system improvement problems;
- Discuss the importance and relevance of developing quality and safety initiatives, and how poor clinical governance and leadership systems can compromise patient safety;
- Identify and describe relevant assessment tools, data collection methods and analytical processes for quality and safety improvement in the health workplace;
- Appraise the critical roles of the organisation, the individual practitioner and the patient in quality and safety in healthcare.
Fee Information
2027 fee information will be available in August.
Teaching
| Teaching Pattern | Tutorial (online webinar) 1 hour weekly; Independent learning 8 hours weekly |
|---|---|
| Assessment | Online Quizzes (10%)|Short Answer Responses (20%)|Literature Critique (35%)|Reflective Report (35%) |
| Timetable | View the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable |
Textbooks
| Required |
Required readings and other resources will be provided through MyLO. |
|---|---|
| Recommended | You can access the reading list for this unit from the link in MyLO or by going directly to the reading lists page on the University Library website. |
The University reserves the right to amend or remove courses and unit availabilities, as appropriate.