Making human factors and ergonomics work in health and social care: chapter 1 (CIEHF, 29 July 2022)

Summary

This download is the first of three chapters of a book which complements the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors' Healthcare Learning Pathway and is intended as a practical resource for students

Content

The book aims to provide well-founded, practical guidance to those responsible for leading and implementing human factors programmes and interventions in health and social care. It's structured around the different levels of a system, where practitioners might place their focus. For each level, the nature of issues that are frequently addressed is given, followed by a characterisation of available human factors methods and approaches. Then, a selection of representative and important human factors methods and approaches is described in detail using a practical example, helping guide practitioners through the many opportunities for human factors interventions and the wide range of methodological choice.

Chapter 1 objectives and learning outcomes:

1. To explain what human factors and the systems approach are.
2. To understand what to look at within a healthcare work system.
3. To be familiar with how human factors approaches improve system outcomes.
4. To understand how human factors practitioners work.