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Improving Quality & Safety
In this article, NES Programme Director for Safety Improvement, Professor Paul Bowie and colleagues’ highlight the multifactorial importance of embedding Human Factors concepts and methods across a diverse range of initiatives to improve the quality and safety of healthcare with a priority focus on the following areas:
- Systems-Based Approach to Safety
- Human-Centred Design of Healthcare Facilities
- Usability and Safety of Products and Services
- Workforce Well-being, Education, and Training
- The Leadership Role in Building a Safety Culture
Examples of Recommendations for Implementation (Short, Medium and Long term)
Using Human Factors Science to Improve Quality and Safety of Healthcare
Using Human Factors Science to Improve Quality and Safety of Healthcare
The Safety and Quality Debate
In this conference paper, a group of expert patient safety investigators and human factors specialists argue that safety should be considered as the foundation for quality in healthcare, rather than as a dimension of quality with the latter seen often in policy, education and well-known published conceptual frameworks. It recommends 1) a fundamental rethink about how the NHS and other health systems views and prioritises patient safety, and 2) the need for healthcare to employ evidence-based safety and risk management principles.