Patient Safety and Quality Masterclass

What is it?

The Patient Safety and Quality Masterclass is an advanced scientific workshop dedicated to learning principles and practice of patient safety, clinical risk management and quality of care. 

It is an intensive 2 ½ day workshop built on the principle of maximizing interaction between attendees through small group learning and sessions that require participation. While we are generally able to cover a wide variety of safety and quality-related topics, we have a diverse faculty selection that enables participants to focus on particular interest topics in their clinical settings and target their needs to maximize their learning benefit.

Typical Content

Face to Face Day 1

On day one, after establishing some rapport and getting to know each other, time is spent in short lectures with ensuing discussions on contemporary topics in Human Factors and Systems Safety Science. Participants are familiarized with different theoretical frameworks in Safety Science that have been used over the last 30 years, among them the Reasonian and Rasmussian schools of thought, Normal Accident Theory, High-Reliability Theory, Drift Theory, Complexity Sciences and Resilience Engineering. Various concepts, like the “old vs. new view” on safety, “Safety I & II” or “Coupling & Complexity” are introduced and discussed. Moreover, Human Factors aspects of patient safety, like teamwork, human performance limitations or cognitive aids, are explored using interactive workshops. 

Face to Face Day 2

On day two, the group splits into smaller workshops to deal with practical topics of crew resource management (CRM) and system analysis of an incident. The EPSQM faculty has produced dedicated videos to use for teaching and learning purposes during these workshops. This is followed by a detailed look into quality management metrics that can be used to objectify and guide patient safety interventions in the participants’ workplace. Towards the end of the day, one of the features distinguishing this Masterclass from other courses is introduced: Participants are introduced to the human element and patients’ perspective by interacting with a patient advocate. These special faculty members share their personal experiences of unintended harm and loss and are able to give meaning and context to all abstract learning content of the previous two days.  

Face to Face Day 3

On day three, all the various pieces of the previous two days are assembled and put to use by the participants using a full-scale simulation workshop. After witnessing a simulated perioperative incident, participants first have to form a task force and analyse the incident. Then, with the continuing support and guidance of the faculty, they participate in workshops with actors to learn strategies for dealing with families and relatives, as well as the problem of second victimhood amongst those involved with the accident. Following these immersive exercises, strategies are discussed that can help participants fulfil their new leadership roles in patient safety in their respective organisations and show them ways to initiate change in the workplace.