Ergonomics/human factors in healthcare: a vision for the future

How could and should Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE) be implemented in healthcare? The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (CIEHF, UK) has developed a vision for the future to complement the strategic views expressed by the Care Quality Commission, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Health Education England (HEE), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and others. The initiatives delivered in the National Health Service (NHS, UK) have succeeded in sparking an interest in HFE. Whilst there have been successes in introducing local improvements using risk management, quality improvement and patient safety methods, the participative nature of HFE supports collaboration by all stakeholders ensuring that a system-wide approach is taken. This offers a new beginning for a common understanding of HFE in healthcare, accessible to all healthcare service stakeholders and provides a vision for education, capacity building and implementation. This paper will describe the consultation process and give examples of ‘what good looks like’; for example making the best use of human capabilities (physical, cognitive, psychological and social characteristics); mitigating for human limitations; and utilizing people in ways that maximize system safety and minimize risk.