Human Factors: The Impact on Patient Safety
PostgraduateMUR-SHP6022021
Course information for 2021 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Explore why humans are error prone and the strategies that protect patients from these errors. See how technology, processes, and teamwork make health care safer. Learn to work with machines and other people for better care outcomes for patients.
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 15 weeks
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Human Factors: The Impact on Patient Safety
About this subject
On successful completion of the subject you should be able to:
- identify the principles of Human Factors and the role of Human Factors in the prevention of errors in healthcare delivery
- communicate the cognitive and behavioural characteristics of humans that make humans error prone in relation to working environments and machinery & technology
- develop strategies using human factors knowledge to decrease risk of errors occurring in the areas of medication administration, teamwork & communication, clinical handover and clinical deterioration.
- Introduction to Human Factors
- Human Factors and Working Environments, Machinery and Technology
- Human Factors and Medication Errors
- Human Factors and Teamwork & Situation Awareness
- Human Factors and the use of Structured tools to improve Clinical Handover
- Human Factors: Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration
The study of Human Factors provides understanding of human characteristics and applies this to improving the design of machines, systems and team environments to reduce the likelihood of error in health care.
This subject examines cognitive and behavioural characteristics that make humans error prone. Strategies to improve the human-machine interface and human to human interactions will be identified and examined. The subject focuses on achievable ways of using human factors to build defences into the healthcare system to protect patients.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.
These assessments allow students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, analysis and evaluation skills and application of theoretical concepts to practice. Additionally, these assessments allow students to further develop academic and professional communication skills. Detailed feedback is provided on all assessments in addition to marking rubrics to facilitate student learning and achievement of unit learning outcomes.
- Online Discussion Forum (30%)
- Quizzes (30%)
- Written Report (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MUR-SHP602U-Human Factors: The Impact on Patient Safety (no longer available)
Others
Enrolment in a graduate degree.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.