Curious about studying Human Factors for Patient Safety MScat University of Staffordshire? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
MSc - Master of Science
Online
Part Time
Apr 2028
3 Year
Safety scientists play a major role in preventing unintended harm across many high-consequence industries, improving overall wellbeing and changing the culture of workplaces. Our MSc in Human Factors for Patient Safety will teach you how to design applied solutions for health and social care settings. The course is ideal for existing health professionals – from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds - who want to specialise in care safety, risk, improvement and system transformation and advisory roles. These highly transferable skills are also relevant to many other sectors. The work could range from the design of job tasks, equipment, care processes and procedures through to better training and clearer communication. You’ll be able to make a real difference to the lives of patients, service users, families, carers and staff. It’s also about creating an organisational environment where staff feel they can speak up about issues of concern. The Masters – which covers nationally recognised professional competencies - is taught by chartered ergonomics experts and lecturers with a wide range of experience in patient safety and system improvement. They include leading figures in safety science, who have worked in fields as diverse as transport and the nuclear industry. You will develop a foundational knowledge of human factors and ergonomics and associated tools, techniques and models. As you build your repertoire, you will be able to apply this to cognitive, physical and organisational elements and interactions within your own workplace. You’ll delve into case studies, incident reports and descriptions of everyday work to see how to design better systems and organisational performance. We’ll also introduce you to different scenarios, filmed using our sector-leading simulation facilities, which really bring topics to life. And you’ll learn about the importance of methods such as dynamic risk assessment and task analysis. The course will also cover ‘walk-through-talk-through’ to identify systems threats and opportunities on the ground. Cognitive risk analysis, for example, could include looking at confusing labels, cluttered signage, trip hazards, badly worded instructions and hard-to-follow procedures. Then there’s how humans interact with technology, including the growing role artificial intelligence is playing in diagnoses and treatment. Ergonomics is about optimising socio-technical interactions at work and finding solutions to problems. Examples could include colour coding drugs packaging to prevent administering the wrong medication to patients. The multidisciplinary course looks at outcomes ‘in the round’. You will consider how to improve safety, quality, efficiency, equity and sustainability in healthcare, recognising the complexity of everyday work. We aim to develop a community of practice for students. As the course is delivered through distance learning, you will be able to share experiences and ideas, contribute to discussion boards, take part in peer reviews and learn about health systems outside of your specialist area. You will be able to draw on our staff expertise in research. You’ll also produce your own piece of in-depth research – either a dissertation or an evaluation of a project-based change. The Masters is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), which praised its "excellent design", "clearly constructed" curriculum and "creative and engaging" activities. On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: MSc Human Factors for Patient Safety.
This module introduces the foundational principles of Human Factors/ Ergonomics (HF/E). It covers the history and scope of the science and how to take a systems approach to interactions between people and technology, environment, task, and other socio-technical system elements. It introduces core areas of HF/E practice and competence such as user-centred design, with the twin aims of optimising work system performance and human wellbeing. Students apply HF/E models and tools for systems understanding, and discuss these in relation to patient safety, service quality, and related outcomes for staff and organisations.
This module covers the assessment and management of hazards, risk and consequence in safety-critical domains. Modern and historical approaches to safety are outlined and lessons from various high-consequence industries and domains are discussed in relation to health and care systems. Students study the effectiveness of safety controls/barriers and safeguards and then HF/E contribution to organisational learning from adverse events and to continuous improvement methods. Accident aetiologies, probabilistic methods of assurance, reliability and resilience, and subjective/objective risk are studied and critically appraised with reference to patient safety and quality improvement in health care.
Cognitive Ergonomics is concerned with human capabilities and limitations at work in terms of attention, memory, communication processing of information, problem-solving and decision-making. This module covers the ways in which people interact with tasks, tools and technology, and with the information they receive from others. The focus is on deep understanding of the ways in which the brain interacts with information received. Students apply HF/E design principles to facilitate optimal cognitive performance: to make it easy to do the right thing.
Organizational or macro-ergonomics is concerned with the design of organizational structures, policies, and processes. Topics include theories of management, leadership and teamwork and discussion and assessment of safety culture. The design of workflow, staffing, information systems and care coordination are also covered in this module, as are political, regulatory and technological contexts and developments which may influence health system performance and human wellbeing.
Physical Ergonomics is concerned with human capabilities and limitations (anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical) as they relate to work activity. This module covers the ways in which people interact with the requirements of tasks (e.g. repetitive movements, posture, load handling) and the built environment (e.g. physical layouts, heat, noise). The focus is on the important relationship between work and health, including understanding and preventing stress and fatigue-related problems. Students apply HF/E design principles to facilitate optimal performance and wellbeing for staff and service users: fitting the task to the human.
Students have the opportunity to study optional modules in this year.
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Winner: Facilities
