Target Audience: Designed for healthcare professionals seeking senior clinical/non-clinical, administration/management or research roles.

Target Group: Suitable for students aged 19-30 and professionals aged 31-65.

Standard Entry:

• Master's degree at MQF/EQF Level 7 or equivalent.
• 5+ Years of mid-to-senior level work experience.
• English Proficiency (IELTS 7.0 or equivalent exemption).

The DHS programme comprises a total of 4,500 Learning Hours across 5 core modules. The language of instruction is English.

D801: Transforming Services/Delivering Quality

Module Description

This module is designed to meet the needs of professionals working in healthcare to develop a detailed understanding of the concept of quality and the process of Quality Improvement across the HealthCare continuum. Students will develop a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the diverse methods of improving quality, including but not limited to Continuous Quality Improvement and Total Quality Management, and the guidelines for implementing quality management and continuous quality improvement processes. Students will conduct a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of TQM, Lean/Six Sigma and other integral tools of Process Improvement and Customer/Patient Satisfaction.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment

• Delivery Methods: Students are taught through online interactive synchronous and asynchronous tutorials, inquiry-based learning, and self-directed and independent learning. Online tutorials are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion. Online lectures are focused on developing module subject-specific knowledge and skills to an advanced level.
• Digital Tools: Digital learning tools utilised are Google Workspace/education and associated APPS.
• Formative Assessment: Tutor feedback from workshops, tutorials and online discussions.
• Summative Assessment: Analytical essay (6,000 words). 100% assessment weighting. Pass mark is 50% from grade D band 50-54%.

Hours Breakdown

• Total Hours: 750 Hours
• Contact Hours: 150
• Supervised Practice: 20
• Self-Study: 560
• Assessment Hours: 20

Competences

• Critically synthesise and analyse the complexities of service transformation and quality improvement interventions in healthcare systems.
• Exercise personal responsibility and largely autonomous initiative in complex and unpredictable situations in professional or equivalent contexts.
• Investigate the diverse methods of improving quality, including but not limited to continuous Quality Improvement and Total Quality Management, and formulate guidelines for implementing quality management and continuous quality improvement processes in healthcare environments.
• Examine the principles of service transformation and quality improvement in healthcare systems.
• Critically investigate quality improvement and management, and construct theories to build high-performing inclusive teams that contribute to productive and efficient provision of quality services.
• Investigate the comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Quality Management theories and concepts and their appropriate use in healthcare settings.
• Deduce effective appraisal methods and techniques for project and programme selection.
• Experiment with analytical modelling approaches to support quality transformation decisions.
• Analyse the risks in Quality improvement projects and formulate suitable risk management strategies for successful project delivery.
• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of frameworks, concepts, and approaches from service quality research.

Knowledge Outcomes

• Develop a systematic acquisition and understanding of services transformation and quality improvement/management theories.
• Examine advanced tools and frameworks and generate strategies for implementation in complex healthcare delivery settings.
• A high level of critical appraisal of differing perspectives on service transformation quality improvement theories and practice and how to categorise these during transition and change in healthcare settings.
• Critique critical quality improvement theories, appreciating their theoretical underpinnings and evaluating their practice implications.
• Apply effective appraisal methods and techniques for quality improvement projects and programme selection.

Skills Outcomes

• Demonstrate self-direction and clarity in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks professionally.
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the position of the improvement cycle within QMS and use methods to identify and implement areas for improvement.
• Describe the evolution of the health care systems and Quality Management/Improvement Programs up to the present and reflect on its future.
• Examine the current state-of-the-art Quality Management/Improvement Program principles and techniques for health care in general.
• Understand the use of data and statistics for effective Quality Management/Improvement Programs.
• Understand Six Sigma and Lean Strategies.
• Understand essential elements of provider credentialing, risk management and liability issues related to Quality Management/Improvement Programs.
• Understand the effect of Patient Safety issues on Quality Management/Improvement systems.
• Understand the recent trends in Quality Management / Improvement and Continuous Quality and Continuity of Care issues in Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Long-Term Care.

Core Reading List

• Delivering quality health services: a global imperative for universal health coverage. Geneva: World Health Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and The World Bank; 2018.
• Improving healthcare quality in Europe: Characteristics, effectiveness and implementation of different strategies. Edited by: Reinhard Busse, Niek Klazinga, Dimitra Panteli. Wilm Quentin OECD (2019).
• The healthcare quality book : vision, strategy, and tools / David B. Nash, Maulik S. Joshi, Elizabeth R. Ransom, and Scott B. Ransom, editors. Fourth edition.
• Handbook for national quality policy and strategy: a practical approach for developing policy and strategy to improve quality of care. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018.

D802: Implementation Science

Module Description

Students will critically appraise theories, models and the practice of implementation science in health and social care. They critically examine diagnostic, behaviour change and sociological models of implementation, with strategies to increase the utilisation of the scientific evidence base in health and social care that flow from these theoretical positions. Students will develop the skills to evaluate theories of implementation and will be able to demonstrate insight into how innovation and behaviour change can be planned and delivered in modern health services.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment

• Delivery Methods: Students are taught through online interactive synchronous and asynchronous tutorials, inquiry-based learning, and self-directed and independent learning. Online tutorials enable the application of learning through discussion.
• Digital Tools: Digital learning tools utilised are Google Workspace/education and associated APPS.
• Formative Assessment: Tutor feedback from workshops, tutorials and online discussions.
• Summative Assessment: Essay 6,000 words (100% weighting) addressing key theoretical concepts, the approach, results, and learnings from the module demonstrating a professional understanding of the theory and concepts of implementation science and the practical application and delivery of interventions in healthcare settings. Pass mark is 50% from grade D band 50-54%.

Hours Breakdown

• Total Hours: 750 Hours
• Contact Hours: 150
• Supervised Practice: 20
• Self-Study: 560
• Assessment Hours: 20

Competences

• Investigate and formulate extensive knowledge, skills, practices, and thinking to complete and report a substantial research, quality improvement, audit, or guideline development project.
• Formulate comprehensive dissemination and implementation interventions in healthcare settings.
• Analyse the barriers to uptake in communities, social service agencies, and healthcare facilities.
• Appraise gaps in Dissemination & Implementation measurement and critically evaluate how to fill them.
• Incorporate methods of economic evaluation (e.g., implementation costs, cost-effectiveness) in Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) study design.
• Identify and articulate the trade-offs between various study designs for D&I research.
• Formulate procedures to frame and analyse the context of Dissemination & Implementation as a complex system with interacting parts.

Knowledge Outcomes

• A systematic acquisition and understanding of the theories of Implementation Science and implementation knowledge production in a selected healthcare topic.
• Examination of advanced tools & frameworks to generate strategies for implementation and dissemination in complex settings, to solve critical problems.
• Solve critical problems in implementation and/or dissemination and extend existing implementation science knowledge.
• Examine the concepts of delivering service quality and implementation science in healthcare to construct and implement transformational activities and improvements in services, organisational processes and structures.
• Critically appraise, analyse and synthesise implementation science research in healthcare practice and education.

Skills Outcomes

• Appraise the relevance of coherence in the implementation research design for practice and education with due consideration of ethics.
• Critically appraise different implementation and dissemination methods and approaches and determine how to choose methods.
• Critique different methods of rigour and validity in implementation research design for health and social care practice and education.
• Contribute to the production of professional and academic knowledge and improvement of practice in implementation and dissemination.

Core Reading List

• Implementation Science 3.0; Centre for Evidence and Implementation, Melbourne, Australia, Springer (2022).
• Implementation Science – The Key Concepts, edited by Rapport, Clay-Williams, and Braithwaite, Routledge (2022).
• Handbook on Implementation Science, edited by Nilsen & Birken, Edward Elgar publishing (2020).

D803: Research Methods – Qualitative & Quantitative

Module Description

This module provides a detailed overview of quantitative and qualitative research methods focusing on developing a thorough understanding of science theories, methodological views and paradigms. The principles of study design and mixed research methodologies will be discussed and critiqued in detail.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment

• Delivery Methods: Online interactive synchronous and asynchronous tutorials, inquiry-based learning, and self-directed learning.
• Digital Tools: Google Workspace/education and associated APPS.
• Formative Assessment: Tutor feedback from workshops, tutorials and online discussions.
• Summative Assessment: Assignment 6,000 words (100% weighting). Candidates produce a comprehensive framework to support a proposed research intervention. Pass mark is 50% from grade D band 50-54%.

Hours Breakdown

• Total Hours: 500 Hours
• Contact Hours: 100
• Supervised Practice: 40
• Self-Study: 340
• Assessment Hours: 20

Competences

• Construct and deliver effective research projects in complex healthcare environments.
• Investigate and construct advanced processes for conducting research in healthcare services.
• Synthesise qualitative and quantitative analysis of health interventions and articulate judgements.
• Respond to and evaluate abstract problems that expand and redefine existing procedural knowledge.
• Produce and communicate independent research designs and methodologies for healthcare interventions.

Knowledge Outcomes

• Demonstrate extensive advanced knowledge, skills, practices, and thinking to complete and report a substantial research, quality improvement, audit, or guideline development project.
• Demonstrate systemic understanding of the epistemologies and methodologies in healthcare and implementation science research.

Skills Outcomes

• Critical appraisal of the philosophical, ontological and epistemological basis of research in healthcare and education.
• Demonstrate expertise in critical evaluation and analysis with incomplete or limited information to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments and produce original research design frameworks.

Core Reading List

• Research Methods In Health: Investigating Health And Health Services. Ann Bowling, McGraw Hill (2023).
• Quantitative Methods for Health Research: A Practical Interactive Guide to Epidemiology and Statistics. Bruce, Pope & Stanistreet. Wiley (2017).
• Mixed Methods in Health Sciences Research: A Practical Primer. Leslie Curry, Marcella Nunez-Smith. SAGE Publications (2014).

D804: Literature Review & Research Proposal

Module Description

The module is designed to guide students through the process of carrying out a systematic review in any health-related field to advance existing models, theories, instruments, methods, and practices. Students will need to demonstrate that they can apply the theoretical issues of the module to practical situations and formulate a comprehensive research proposal based on their findings.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment

• Delivery Methods: Online interactive synchronous and asynchronous tutorials, inquiry-based learning, and self-directed and independent learning.
• Digital Tools: Google Workspace/education and associated APPS.
• Formative Assessment: Tutor feedback from workshops, tutorials and online discussions.
• Summative Assessment: Project proposal (25%) & Literature Review Document (75%). Pass mark is 50% from grade D band 50-54%.

Hours Breakdown

• Total Hours: 500 Hours
• Contact Hours: 100
• Supervised Practice: 40
• Self-Study: 340
• Assessment Hours: 20

Competences

• Appraise, categorise and formulate solutions to complex unstructured healthcare problems.
• Synthesise literature analysis to articulate judgements in broad environments.
• Assemble an advanced and comprehensive overview of available academic literature.
• Select a focused research topic using appropriate methods.
• Define and prepare an original research proposal outlining the potential research context, methods, and expected outcomes.
• Evaluate and anticipate potential limitations and challenges in the proposed research and construct mitigation strategies.

Knowledge Outcomes

• Develop a critical understanding of the role and purpose of a literature review in health science research.
• Acknowledge the different types of literature reviews (e.g., narrative, scoping, systematic) and the appropriate contexts for their application.
• Determine how to formulate clear, focused research questions and objectives.
• Determine how a well-structured research proposal integrates with the broader context of scientific inquiry and academic scholarship.

Skills Outcomes

• Demonstrate the practical ability to conduct literature searches using various databases and search strategies.
• Apply appropriate ethical principles, methods of analysing qualitative and quantitative data, or other appropriate designs.
• Critique key theories in the literature, appreciating their theoretical underpinnings and evaluating their practice implications.
• Contribute to the production of professional and academic knowledge and improvement of practice in evidence-based implementation and dissemination in health and social care.

Core Reading List

• Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice. Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, Ellen Fineout-Overholt. LWW (2022).
• Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy: The Matrix Method. Judith Garrard, Jones & Bartlett Learning (2020).
• Conducting Your Literature Review. Hannes Snyder, American Psychological Association (2019).

D805: Thesis

Module Description

This advanced research requires students to produce a comprehensive integrative research product incorporating the advanced knowledge and skills from the programme into a final thesis of (50,000 words min – 60,000 max). The research must make a significant contribution to the knowledge domain, be of publishable quality, and be aimed at dissemination. The doctoral candidate engages in independent research that focuses on solving a significant problem or issue within the field of health science.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment

• Delivery Methods: Online interactive synchronous and asynchronous tutorials, inquiry-based learning, and self-directed learning. Utilizing 'Asynchronous tutorials', students engage in dynamic academic discourse via collaborative spaces. Students maintain direct contact at least twice every four months with their supervisor for 'transformational tutorials'.
• Digital Tools: Google Workspace/education and associated APPS.
• Formative Assessment: Continuous supervisor feedback on thesis progression and chapter drafts.
• Summative Assessment: Examination of the written dissertation (50,000-60,000 words) conducted by 2 internal and 1 external examiner. Plus an oral Viva Voce presentation conducted by a panel (supervisor, 2 internal, 1 external examiner). Assessed purely on a Pass/Fail basis (Grade P).

Hours Breakdown

• Total Hours: 2000 Hours
• Contact Hours: 400
• Supervised Practice: 50
• Self-Study: 1530
• Assessment Hours: 20

Competences

• Construct and deliver effective service transformation and implementation projects in complex healthcare environments.
• Produce and communicate independent research for healthcare interventions based on high-level critical appraisal of theories.
• Assemble an advanced and comprehensive overview of available academic literature.
• Evaluate and anticipate potential limitations and challenges in the proposed research and construct mitigation strategies.
• Lead large-scale transformation projects and deliver effective evidence-based solutions for complex advanced and chronic care needs.

Knowledge Outcomes

• Produce new knowledge through original research and advanced scholarship of a quality to satisfy peer review.
• Determine how a well-structured research proposal integrates with the broader context of scientific inquiry and academic scholarship.
• Formulate and analyse complex scholarly issues in healthcare independently, systematically and critically.

Skills Outcomes

• Conduct research in a systematic, rigorous, critically reflective manner using appropriate primary and secondary data collection methods.
• Provide a critical evaluation of research methodologies and engage in critical, self-reflective professional practice.
• The most advanced and specialised skills and techniques, including synthesis and evaluation, required to solve critical problems in research.

General Assessment Procedures: Assessment at the doctoral level will be formative & summative and will encourage self-assessment, critical reflection, introspection and metacognitive strategies. Summative assessments include assignments, exams and presentations/viva oral boards.

Grading System: Pass Rate requires D or D* (50% minimum)

Mark Range	Grade	Descriptor
80% - 100%	A	Work of excellent quality
70% - 79%	B	Work of very good quality
55% - 69%	C	Work of good quality
50% - 54%	D	Work of fair but below average quality
50%	D*	Maximum grade obtainable following re-assessment
45% - 49%	E	Work of marginal quality
0% - 45%	F	Unsatisfactory, failing work
N/A	P	Pass when assessment is based on a pass/fail basis.

D805: Thesis Assessment

The final thesis (Module D805) is assessed purely on a Pass/Fail basis (Grade P). Candidates must successfully defend their written dissertation via an oral Viva Voce examination to achieve the doctoral award. There are no embedded exit awards for this programme.

Programme Extensions: Extensions are permitted for up to a maximum of 6 years (full-time) or 8 years (part-time) from the initial enrolment date. During an approved extension period, an annual extension fee of €3,750 (EU), €5,875 (Non-EU), or €1,000 (LMIC) applies.

As global health systems navigate unprecedented complexity, technological disruption, and shifting population needs, the sector requires empathic, highly adaptable leaders capable of making critical decisions under pressure.

This calls senior healthcare professionals to action—to step out of operational silos and become the key architects shaping the future of global health. The Doctor of Health Science (DHS) is a proactive response to this mandate. It represents a shift from the traditional theoretical doctorate to an innovative, applied approach that places implementation science, continuous quality improvement, and frontline research at its core.

Graduates of the DHS programme are empowered to lead large-scale transformation projects and deliver effective evidence-based solutions. This programme is designed for high-level practitioners seeking executive leadership positions (e.g., Chief Medical/Nursing Officer, Health System Director), roles in international health governance, or those embarking on an advanced academic and research career.

For more information on career pathways, further learning opportunities, or to speak with an academic advisor, please contact our admissions team:

info@ihri.edu.eu

We believe in complete transparency. Before enrolling, we encourage all prospective students to review our standard Student Agreement, which outlines the duties of the institution, student responsibilities, and our refund policies.

Download Sample Student Agreement (PDF)