Units / MPH5267
MPH5267 · Principles of health care quality improvement
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 5Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
In this unit you will learn how historical, political & social factors impact on quality measurement in health care; the relationship of industrial and health care quality monitoring; epidemiological and statistical quality measurement principles; the strengths and limitations of current monitoring techniques; different sources of health care quality data; principles of clinical indicator programs; adverse event monitoring, satisfaction surveys and benchmarking; and the relationship between evidence based medicine, clinical practice guidelines and quality improvement. You will appreciate the complexities in designing, implementing and evaluating quality improvement programs in the clinical setting. The content aligns well with other management units in the program such as MPH5266 (Clinical Leadership and Management) and MPH5020 (Introduction to Biostatistics and Epidemiology). It is a core unit of the Graduate Diploma and Master of Health Services Management.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Alfred Hospital | First semester | Activities scheduled as a mix of on-campus and online activities in a block period (BLD-BLK) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical reflections (5 x 480 words each. Total 2,400 words) | Exercise | 40% | Threshold |
| 2 | Letter to the editor (Letter x 600 words and supporting rationale x 600 words) | Written | 20% | — |
| 3 | Written report (2,400 words) | Written | 40% | Threshold |
Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- Explain the key driving forces that underpin the need for healthcare quality improvement.
- Apply safety and quality literature, research findings to healthcare practice.
- Contribute to debates on safety and quality problems and potential solutions.
- Apply quality improvement tools and methods to healthcare systems, processes and outcomes.
- Formulate practical solutions to safety and quality problems leading to improvement in a healthcare context.
Workload
15 contact hours over 2 block day On average 10 hours per week to participate in online tasks and complete assignments
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Workshops | 16 hours |
Ask about MPH5267
Answered from the Handbook fields above — no AI, no guessing. Every answer links back to the source.
Community discussions about MPH5267
CommunityStudent experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.