92022 Improving Quality and Safety in Health Care

Description

This subject covers the essential knowledge that clinicians, health service managers and project officers need concerning error management and safety and quality improvement. It enables students to appreciate why errors occur in healthcare delivery and the contemporary approaches to reducing errors and improving the safety and quality of health services. Topics covered include the origins of error and risk; the management of error and risk from human factors and health systems perspectives; the elements of clinical governance; the relationship between clinical cultures, quality and adverse events; the monitoring, analysis and investigation of incidents from national, state and local perspectives; incident reporting systems and the processes used in Australian healthcare settings; and lessons learned from healthcare inquiries. Team-based, personal and interpersonal skills in open disclosure are addressed, as well as complaint management and the importance of patient and family engagement, and appropriate organisational communication following errors. International approaches to safety and quality in healthcare delivery are also discussed. An emphasis is placed on error reduction and meeting national standards within health services settings.

Typical availability

Autumn session, City campus