Practical application of human factors and ergonomics to improve safety

Human factors and ergonomics (HFE) is a transdisciplinary area that integrates theories and methods from disciplines such as psychology, anatomy and physiology, and organization management. The different elements of HFE provide the basis for the effective design of a safe clinical process and adaptation of the human activity to the environment. Physical HFE focuses primarily on the physical characteristics and activities of the person undertaking an activity and includes the design of the workplace layout, the work-related musculoskeletal disorder, and the impact of environmental factors. Cognitive HFE focuses primarily on cognitive characteristics and activities of the person, for instance decision-making. Organizational HFE focuses on psychosocial characteristics of people and organization-level structures, policies, and processes. The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model provides a construct that integrates the different parts of HFE and can be applied to daily clinical practice.