In this short article, Prof Paul Bowie C.ErgHF and Dr Shelly Jeffcott argue that primary care is an area which could benefit extensively from a Human Factors (HF) approach, specifically in improving the performance and well-being of people and organisations. They define the purpose of HF, outline its three specialist sub-domains (physical, cognitive and organisational HF) and provide examples of guiding HF principles and practices. Finally they describe HF issues of significance to primary care education, improvement and research and outline early plans for building capacity and capability in this setting.
