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NMHS42700

Academic Year 2026/2027

Quality, patient safety and outcomes (NMHS42700)

Subject:
Nursing,Midwifery & Health Sys
College:
Health & Agricultural Sciences
School:
Nursing,Midwifery & Health Sys
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Aoife De Brún
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module is designed to facilitate healthcare professionals to explore and critically appraise diverse theories and approaches to quality and patient safety in healthcare and evaluate the role of evidence-based practice as a mechanism to enhance and improve patient care quality. To understand issues pertaining to patient safety, a critical understanding of healthcare work complexity and its contribution towards adverse/near miss events will be explored. The role of human factors, patient/family engagement, collaborative approaches to staff engagement and learning from incidents as well as from good practice will be outlined. Implementing and testing changes to foster a culture of quality, learning and safety will then be explored. The effectiveness of quality improvement and patient safety processes and their impact on outcome indicators will be examined, and students will explore and critically evaluate the measurement and management of such outcomes with respect to their own workplace.

The module is relevant to healthcare staff of all levels and disciplines who are interested in developing their skills in managing quality and safety in healthcare.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the current state of patient safety within healthcare.
• Describe and appraise the theories, methods and tools that can be used for quality and safety management and improvement in healthcare.
• Reflect on the factors that promote a collaborative and learning culture characterised by efforts at continuous quality improvement and proactive safety monitoring.
• Critically explore the drivers for quality and safety, the role of patient engagement and feedback, and understand the impact of human factors.
• Develop skills in quality and safety planning and apply this learning to improve patient safety and quality of care in students’ own workplace.

Indicative Module Content:

This module is designed to facilitate healthcare professionals to explore and critically appraise diverse theories and approaches to quality and patient safety management in healthcare and evaluate the role of evidence based practice as a mechanism to enhance and improve care quality. To understand issues pertaining to patient safety, a critical understanding of health care work complexity and its contribution towards adverse/near miss events will be explored and tools and techniques for evaluating work complexity will be critically analysed. Systems changes to facilitate a culture of quality, learning and safety will then be explored. The effectiveness of quality improvement processes/patient safety processes and their impact on outcome indicators will be examined, and students will explore and critically evaluate the measurement and management of such outcomes

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Proficient

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Proficient

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Proficient

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Competent

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Proficient

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Proficient

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Novice

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Proficient

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 3
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

10
Autonomous Student Learning

170
Lectures

20
Online Learning

10
Total

210

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Approaches to teaching and learning will include synchronous and asynchronous lectures, interactive discussions, guest lectures and workshops, directed learning activities, peer review/critical appraisal and applying learning to a local workplace issue.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Equivalents:
Quality, PT safety & outcomes (NMHS40730), Quality, PT safety & outcomes (NURS40730)


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): To identify and explore a patient safety issue in own workplace and develop a plan to address, resolve and monitor this issue by adopting a quality improvement/patient safety/human factors approach Week 14 Alternative non-linear conversion grade scale 50% Yes
90
 Yes
Group Work Assignment: Peer review and feedback, where students review and critically appraise the work of others Week 10 Alternative non-linear conversion grade scale 50% No
10
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Peer review feedback during the trimester Individual and group-level feedback

Name Role
Dr Sahar Hammoud Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Online Learning Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12 Mon 14:00 - 16:50
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