Run by School of Health Sciences

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 1 & 2

Organiser: Mrs Carol Westwell

The purpose of the module is to introduce the concept of quality in healthcare. This includes quality as theoretical concept and as a fundamental feature of in health services and healthcare. The module explores how healthcare quality is influenced and how it can be effectively measured and evaluated. The module utilises a variety of blended learning approaches and mainly online activities/resources and taught sessions to support your knowledge and enhance understanding.

This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to critically evaluate the concept of quality within healthcare, and the foundations of different approaches to improving quality. The key themes the module content will include are:

• Quality in health and social care, theoretical and practice perspectives.
• Exploration of external drivers and contextual influences that shape the adoption of different approaches to improvement, and how quality challenges are framed
• Legislative, governance and professional issues in quality and service improvement
• Evaluating improvement
• The components of improvement and performance management
• Evidence base practice and approaches to implementation
• Securing improvement: Co-production and other approaches employed to achieve best practice
• UK and international perspectives in quality and service improvement
• Developing analytic frameworks to support service improvement and outcomes

threshold

Threshold C grade, minimum 50% (pass)

• Demonstrate knowledge of key areas/principles.
• Have some, if only limited, evidence of background study.
• Be focused on the question (assessment brief) with only some irrelevant material and weaknesses in structure
• Attempt to present relevant and logical arguments.
• Not contain a large number of factual/computational errors.
• Describe major links between topics.
• Attempt to analyse and/or explain problems.
• Be free of major weaknesses in presentation and accuracy.

good

Good B grade, minimum 60% (merit)

• Demonstrate strong knowledge and understanding of most of the subject area.
• Demonstrate evidence of background study.
• Be well structured and focused.
• Contain coherently presented arguments.
• Be mostly free of factual/computational errors.
• Include some elements of original interpretation.
• Describe well known links between topics.
• Analyse and/or explain problems using existing methods/approaches
• Be presented to high standards with accurate communication.

excellent

Excellent A grade, minimum 70% (distinction)

• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and detailed understanding of the subject area.
• Demonstrate extensive background study.
• Be well structured and highly focussed.
• Contain logically presented and defended arguments.
• Be free of factual/computational errors.
• Include significant elements of original interpretation.
• Demonstrate an ability to identify, develop and present new links between topics.
• Include new approaches to analysing and/or explaining a problem.
• Be presented to very high standards with very accurate communication.

1. Critically review the drivers, facilitators and barriers to improvements in the quality of care

2. Critically examine the evaluation of improvement interventions in practice

3. Explore & critically analyse the concept of quality including theories & frameworks underpinning different approaches to its improvement in health and social care

4. Examine and review approaches to quality improvement, including the use of research & evidence in health and social care

Type	Name	Description	Weight
ESSAY	Critical analysis of theoretical approaches		80
ORAL	Presentation of quality theory or framework		20

		Hours
Study group	Individual and group presentations based on lectures & directed study	50
Lecture	Lectures – class based and on-line learning using for example, Panoptos	25
Group Project	Seminars based on directed study	20
Seminar	Group activities - class based and online. For example, via the VLE facility	5
Private study	Use of ITC to support on-line learning and group interaction e.g. blogs, on-line activities and discussion	100

• Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
• Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
• Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
• Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
• Safety-Consciousness - Having an awareness of your immediate environment, and confidence in adhering to health and safety regulations
• Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
• Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
• Mentoring - Able to support, help, guide, inspire and/or coach others
• Caring - Showing concern for others; caring for children, people with disabilities and/or the elderly
• Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
• Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others
• Leadership - Able to lead and manage, develop action plans and objectives, offer guidance and direction to others, and cope with the related pressures such authority can result in

Resource implications for students

Students will need access to the internet and word processing in line with current University requirements for information and communication technology Study materials will be made available through the programme black board site, or via Bangor University library.

Reading list

• Rycroft-Malone J. and Bucknall T. (Eds) (2010) Models and Frameworks for Implementing Evidence-Based Practice: Linking Evidence to Action Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
• Bick D. (2013) Evaluating the Impact of Implementing Evidence-Based Practice Hoboken: Wiley
• Berwick D.M (2014) Promising Care: How We Can Rescue Health Care by Improving It. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• Greenhalgh T. (2013) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence based medicine. Chicester: Wiley