Professor John Hyland, President of RCSI, welcomed students to the first day of the new interdisciplinary Masters (MSc) in Human Factors in Patient Safety.

Professor Hyland emphasised to the group that patient safety and quality of care are at the heart of healthcare delivery. He acknowledged the efforts of the team from the Department of Surgical Affairs including programme director Dr Eva Doherty and the Dean of Postgraduate Surgical Education, Professor Oscar Traynor for successfully obtaining accreditation for this new programme.

The new MSc is accredited by RCSI/NUI and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Fourteen students have registered for the programme representing a range of disciplines including surgery, anaesthetics, nursing, emergency medicine and radiography.

Mr Kieran Ryan, Managing Director, Department of Surgical Affairs also joined the group to add his welcome to the new students and wished them the best for the years of study and interdisciplinary collaboration ahead.

Human Factors is concerned with the relationship between human beings and the systems within which they work and the new programme focuses on teamwork, decision-making, leadership and enhancing efficiency with the goal of minimising errors and improving patient safety. The Masters is a two year part-time programme of study consisting of seven modules of study including a research dissertation.