Adopting systems models for multiple incident analysis: utility and usability (11 September 2021)

Summary

This study aims to present two system models widely used in Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) and evaluate whether the models are adoptable to England’s national patient safety team in improving the exploration and understanding of multiple incident reports of an active patient safety issue and the development of the remedial actions for a potential National Patient Safety Alert. The existing process of examining multiple incidents is based on inductive thematic analysis and forming the remedial actions is based on barrier analysis of intelligence on potential solutions. However, no formal systems models evaluated in this study have been used.

AcciMap and Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) were selected, applied and evaluated to the analysis of two different sets of patient safety incidents: (i) incidents concerning ingestion of superabsorbent polymer granules and (ii) incidents concerning the interruption in use of High Nasal Flow Oxygen.