Program Objectives
Increasing patient safety is one of the essential goals of healthcare and aims to prevent harm and promote the well-being of people receiving medical care. The continuing education program “Patient Safety in Healthcare – Master of Science (Continuing Education)” (hereinafter abbreviated as “ULG PS”) is intended to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills required to ensure the highest standards of patient safety in the future. “ULG PS” gives students a fundamental understanding as well as the tools necessary to identify, analyze, and evaluate processes relevant to patient safety in all areas of healthcare. By fostering a culture of safety, preventing medical errors, advocating for patients’ rights, and addressing new challenges, graduates of “ULG PS” will play a decisive role in healthcare in the future by working toward safe and high-quality care for people in need. “ULG PS” will render valuable services to science, society, and the labor market for the following reasons:
Graduates of the continuing education program in Patient Safety in Healthcare (ULG PS (AE)) gain the ability to understand the existing healthcare system, identify care pathways, key players, and interfaces, and implement change processes for continuous quality assurance in the interest of patient safety. The aim of ULG PS (AE) is to qualify people working in the social and healthcare sectors (healthcare professionals, medical-technical assistants, midwives, etc.) and to advance patient safety issues. ULG PS (AE) provides students with a fundamental understanding as well as the tools necessary to identify, analyze, and evaluate processes relevant to patient safety. ULG PS will render valuable services to science, society, and the labor market for the following reasons:
- Promoting a culture of safety: ULG PS promotes the establishment of a safety culture in healthcare institutions. Students learn how important effective communication, teamwork, and incident reporting systems are. This knowledge enables them to actively contribute in the future to creating a safe and open environment in which healthcare providers work together, learn from mistakes, and continuously strive to improve patient care.
- Advocating for patients’ rights: ULG PS gives students an understanding of the importance of patients’ rights and autonomy. Students become familiar with ethical considerations, patient-centered care, and the importance of informed consent. This knowledge enables healthcare professionals to advocate for patients, respect their decisions, and ensure their safety.
- Prevention of infections: Infections associated with healthcare represent a significant threat to patient safety. In ULG PS, students learn infection control measures, appropriate hygiene practices, and strategies to prevent the spread of infections. This is intended to enable them to minimize the occurrence of therapy-associated infections in their fields of work in the future and thereby protect patients from unnecessary harm.
- Promoting evidence-based practices: ULG PS places emphasis on the application of evidence-based practices in order to minimize risks and ensure optimal patient care. Students learn about the latest research findings, guidelines, and best practices in the field of patient safety so that they can make informed decisions and provide evidence-based medicine / care. By integrating this knowledge into their practice, healthcare professionals will help advance patient safety in healthcare systems in the future.
- Reducing healthcare costs: Medical errors and adverse events not only harm patients, but also lead to higher healthcare costs. By training healthcare professionals in patient safety strategies, ULG PS helps reduce the financial burden arising from avoidable medical errors, legal disputes, or longer hospital stays.
Qualification Profile
The continuing education program provides in-depth education of high scientific and methodological quality, oriented toward lasting knowledge, which qualifies graduates for further education and for employment in, for example, the following fields of activity, while making them internationally competitive:
- Leadership roles in healthcare
- Quality management
- Risk management
Based on professional requirements, the continuing education program imparts qualifications in the following categories:
- The graduate has the knowledge required to understand the existing healthcare system and its legal framework.
- The graduate is able to identify care pathways, key players, and interfaces in healthcare.
- The graduate has the competence to implement change processes for continuous quality assurance in the interest of patient safety.
- The graduate thinks and acts holistically and interdisciplinarily. Creative solutions can be proposed and professionally evaluated using the analytical skills acquired.
- The graduate acquires competencies in the areas of diversity in medicine and gender medicine and is able to assess the relationship between the core dimensions of diversity (socioeconomic status, ethnicity/origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, worldview/religion) and health status (with reference to the subject area of the respective curriculum).
- The graduate can interact and communicate respectfully with patients regardless of their socioeconomic and cultural background, gender identity, age, generation, skin color, appearance, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, worldview, or religion.