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)
Safety as the foundation for quality in healthcare
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.
