Human Factors (Ergonomics) is the study of human activity (inside and outside of work). Its purpose as a scientific discipline is to enhance wellbeing and performance of individuals and organisations. The key principles are the interactions between you and your environment both inside and outside of work and the tools and technologies you use.
It looks at areas such as the:
interaction with people (e.g. patients’ colleagues, carers) and the things we use (e.g. paperwork, computers, wheelchairs, endoscopes, microscopes, telephones, machinery, scalpels, drills, processes, systems, and so on)
the work environments in which we use them (e.g. hospital wards, general practice surgeries, administrative offices, operating theatres, clinics, dental surgeries, laboratories and so on).
Additional resources including an eLearning module can be found on the Human Factors site.
