Patient safety and human factors: Patient safety interventions
This section highlights some of the ways people are working to improve system safety.
We need better system design for reliable care:
- Systems are combinations of things that work together to achieve a goal
- The system includes the physical workspace. This space contains equipment, devices, medication and information systems used etc.
- The system includes people. Individuals have values, beliefs, habits and assumptions.
- The system also includes groups. Groups deliver care. They share attitudes, form relationships and respond to situations.
- Changes to the design of physical things can make a big difference to how well people work.
- System performance can depend on how well teams work together. Both the workplace culture and the physical workplace influence how people act.
Further resources
Patient Safety Learning
Patient Safety Learning launched the hub in October 2019 to deliver on the promise made in their Blueprint for Action that one of the fundamental ways to improve patient safety is through shared learning. There are nearly 3,000 articles on there that have been shared with the express purpose of making care safer for patients, as well as communities discussing topics that they feel passionate about. Membership is free, sign up to the hub.
- Analysing the Cumberlege Review: Who should join the dots for patient safety?
- Patient Safety concerns for long COVID-19 patients
- Webinar: Time for questions? Non COVID-19 care and treatment
- Patient Safety Learning 2-minute Tuesdays
- Human factors - resources to support improving human performance in care delivery
Recent blogs on the hub include:
- Whats the plan? Eve Mitchell discusses what we need to do as we plan for recovery post-covid.
- Keeping your cool when colleagues work very ‘differently’ to you. Sally Howard talks about psychological types and why understanding our preferences and how they differ to others, can be incredibly valuable.
- All change please: innovation and adaptation in the face of a crisis. Samantha Machen discusses the response to COVID-19, how it has changed the NHS and how we must learn from this.
Page last updated - 26/06/2023
