Course Outline

HLT717 Age-Friendly Care and the 4Ms Framework

Course Coordinator:Nicholas Ralph (nralph@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Nursing

2028Trimester 1

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Internationally, there is a movement to create age-friendly health systems. The goal is to create a healthcare environment that ensures older adults experience quality care and are satisfied with the care they receive. This course will focus on the 4Ms framework to examine and enable implementation ‘What Matters’, ‘Medication’, ‘Mentation’, and ‘Mobility’. You will critically analyse how ‘What Matters’, ‘Medication’, ‘Mentation’ and ‘Mobility’ operate as interdependent domains that must be considered together rather than as separate clinical checklists when translated into practice. 

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Online – Online self-directed study 3hrs Week 1 10 times

Course Topics

Module 1 – Age-Friendly Systems and the Australian Context (Week 1) 

  • Introduction to Age-Friendly Health systems and the 4Ms framework 

  • Regulatory framework for health and aged care systems 

  • Gerontological nursing competencies and interprofessional practice in age-friendly care 

  • Iatrogenic factors impacting health outcomes for older people 

 

Module 2 – What Matters (Week 2-3) 

  • Person-directed care (Week 2) 

  • Application of ‘What Matters’ into practice (Week 3) 

 

Module 3 – Medication (Weeks 4–5) 

  • Polypharmacy and deprescribing in older adults (Week 4) 

  • Application of ‘Medication’ into practice (Week 5) 

 

Module 4 – Mentation (Weeks 6–7) 

  • Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across care settings (Week 6) 

  • Application of ‘Mentation’ into practice (Week 7) 

 

Module 5 – Mobility (Week 8-9) 

  • Benefits of staying active to maintain functional ability (Week 8) 

  • Application of ‘Mobility’ into practice (Week 9) 

 

Module 6 – Integration, Implementation and Leadership (Week 10) 

  • Implementation science: CFIR as the primary framework for translating the 4Ms into practice across organisations and systems; facilitators and barriers to 4Ms adoption; RE-AIM as a comparative evaluation framework 

  • Quality improvement methodology: PDSA cycles, logic models, clinical audit and EHR-based measurement 

  • Leading age-friendly change: stakeholder engagement, clinician buy-in and sustainability 

  • Equity, access and cultural safety in age-friendly care (including rural, remote and First Nations considerations) 

 

This course is online and asynchronously delivered and weeks are an indicative learning pace only

What level is this course?

700 Level (Specialised)

Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Critically analyse the 4Ms framework and the evidence supporting age-friendly care, including the interdependence of What Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobility. Creative and critical thinker
2 Evaluate contemporary Australian policy, regulation and quality frameworks relevant to the care of older adults, and assess their alignment with 4Ms-based practice. Ethical
3 Apply the 4Ms framework to develop person-centred, goal-concordant care responses for older adults in complex and unfamiliar practice contexts. Empowered
4 Design an evidence-informed service improvement or practice change using quality improvement methodology, including implementation planning, measurement and evaluation. Creative and critical thinker
5 Integrate principles of equity, cultural safety and person-centred ethics in age-friendly care decisions and proposals. Ethical
6 Communicate scholarly analysis and practice recommendations using advanced academic writing conventions and ethical use of sources including AI-generated content. Ethical

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Enrolled in any postgraduate program

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Foundational understanding of clinical assessment, evidence-based practice and person-centred care is assumed. Familiarity with the Australian healthcare system is expected.

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Early assessment and formative feedback will be provided through submission of task 1 outlining a practice issue focus and direction for the task 2 report.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
Online 1 Written Piece Individual 20%
1000 words
Week 4 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
Online 2 Report Individual 40%
2,000 words (not including references or appendices)
Week 8 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
Online 3 Case Study Individual 40%
2,000 words
Exam Period Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
Online - Assessment Task 1:4Ms Practice Analysis
Goal:
The purpose of this task is to identify and analyse a specific age-friendly practice issue, service gap or quality concern relevant to one or more of the 4Ms in a real or realistic clinical setting and develop a direction for your Task 2 report. Due at the end of Week 4, this task builds on Modules 1–2 and the opening of Module 3.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Using a provided template, you will identify the setting and target population, the specific 4Ms domain(s) involved, alignment with the Australian regulatory context (Aged Care Act, Quality Standards, quality indicators), preliminary evidence supporting the issue, and an initial direction for the practice change or improvement you intend to develop in Assessment 3.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification and justification of a relevant age-friendly practice issue or improvement opportunity;
1 2
Generic Skills:
Communication, Organisation, Information literacy
Online - Assessment Task 2:Evidence Synthesis and Critical Appraisal
Goal:
The purpose of this task is to critically appraise and synthesise the evidence base for one component of the 4Ms framework or for the interaction between two or more Ms, and evaluate its application in the Australian context.
Product: Report
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will select a focused topic within the 4Ms (e.g., deprescribing in residential aged care, delirium prevention bundled interventions, goal-concordant advance care planning, early mobilisation programs). You will use a provided report template to critically appraise the quality and applicability of the evidence, analyse relevant Australian policy and regulatory requirements, identify gaps or tensions between evidence and current practice, and present recommendations for practice. Your audience is management and leaders in aged care and/or healthcare services.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Quality and clarity of your critical appraisal of the evidence
1
2
Depth of analysis and synthesis of evidence in relation to Australian policy, regulation and practice
1 2 5
3
Identification of evidence-practice gaps, tensions or implementation considerations
1 4
4
Quality of recommendations and their relevance to age-friendly practice
3 4
5
Use of literacy conventions including use of APA (7th ed.) referencing, structure and grammar
6
Generic Skills:
Communication, Organisation, Information literacy
Online - Assessment Task 3:Case Study
Goal:
The purpose of this task is to analyse a complex older person case or critical practice scenario through all four Ms, and design a feasible, evidence-informed service improvement or practice change proposal.
Product: Case Study
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will be provided with (or may negotiate) a case study involving an older adult with intersecting 4Ms concerns. Your submission will be presented in essay style for an audience of clinical leaders, service managers and governance committees. You will analyse the case through all four Ms to demonstrate their interdependence, then develop a service improvement proposal focused on one primary M. Your proposal will draw on the evidence base appraised in Assessment 2, include an implementation plan using CFIR as the organising framework, address measurement, evaluation and sustainability, and consider equity, cultural safety and access.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Critical analysis and integration of all four Ms in relation to a complex case
1 3
2
Application of evidence to support the proposed service improvement
1 3 4
3
Feasibility, specificity and quality of the implementation plan including measurement and evaluation
4
4
Consideration of equity, cultural safety, access and sustainability
2 5
5
Use of literacy conventions including the use of APA (7th ed.) referencing, structure and grammar
6
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Institute for Healthcare Improvement 2020 Age-Friendly Health Systems: Guide to Using the 4Ms in the Care of Older Adults n/a IHI

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: