Handbook

This is a PLuS Alliance course offered through UNSW. Students at UNSW, Arizona State University and Kings College London who are in a PLuS Alliance program can enrol into this course.

This course is offered in two modes: either face to face (on-campus) and fully online.

Through the progression of this course, you will develop an understanding of a range of quality improvement and risk management theories and strategies. We will start by exploring the evolutionary context of quality in healthcare, and the role of systems and processes in creating our healthcare environments. We will examine the causes and consequences of breakdowns in quality that decrease patient safety. Learnings will be applied to practice through the process of conducting a root cause analysis. We will then analyse why these breakdowns are proving so difficult to remedy, despite the concerted efforts of healthcare professionals, managers, policymakers and consumers. Finally, we will critically examine the process of quality improvement, exploring several tools and methods associated with improving quality and safety. This course is designed to highlight knowledge that informs real-world action, and as such is intended to balance both the theory and the practice of quality improvement. Throughout the course participants will be able to draw on and share their experiences with health services and system engagement both locally and internationally. These experiences will form the basis of the learning activities and assignments.