Welcome to our evolving online Human Factors (HF) Hub containing a host of practical learning resources to support the integration of HF thinking and approaches at all levels of Health and Social care policy, practice, education and research to enhance organisational performance and the wellbeing of people.
About Human Factors
Human Factors (also known as Ergonomics) is the science and profession which helps us to make things safe, effective and usable in the highly complex worlds of health and care.
Health and care settings are arguably the most complex work systems to ever exist. Human Factors is a discipline that is well suited to studying and understanding complex systems and improving them through joint application of a ‘systems approach’ and ‘human-centred design thinking’. This is vital if we wish to further improve our own care systems and outcomes for patients, service users, clients, families and our workforce.
While there is growing interest in the benefits of Human Factors in health and care, a lack of suitably qualified and experienced professionals to support progress is evident, particularly when compared with other high-risk industries.
Building capacity and capability across key workforce groups in the NHS and social care is a key goal of NHS Education for Scotland and partners.
Q is lead by the Health Foundation and supported by partners across the UK and Ireland.
White Paper: Human Factors for Health & Social Care
This White Paper by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors sets out a vision for how Human Factors integration can begin to happen in the health and social care sectors.
Human Factors for Health & Social Care
This document aims to aid understanding of how human factors can and should be used, and the competence and experience needed to manage effort, solve problems and make decisions. It describes how human factors can bring a depth and clarity of understanding to health and social care issues.