Laura Pickup – författare

Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) is a discipline concerned with designing interactions in sociotechnical systems to improve both system performance and human well-being. This Element introduces the core principles of HFE, tracing its development from multidisciplinary efforts to solve practical problems in military operations during the Second World War to its current application in healthcare improvement. The Element acknowledges the growing role of HFE in areas such as the design of the physical environment, medical device design, learning from patient safety incidents, and safety investigations. A critical reflection highlights persistent challenges, including conceptual ambiguity, structural and practical barriers to HFE integration, and the need both for a stronger evidence base and a compelling business case. The Element concludes by identifying future priorities for advancing HFE in healthcare, including continuing professional development and career pathways, embedding HFE in regulation and policy, and adopting evaluation approaches suited to complex systems. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Patient safety, patient and family experience, and staff wellbeing are the joint responsibility of anyone working within health and social care.  An understanding of how Humans Factors and Ergonomics can improve our interactions with systems and processes can often lead to improved patient and staff outcomes.If you are responsible for implementing Human Factors and Ergonomics programmes within a health and social care setting – or if you just want to understand more about how the principles of human factors might apply to your role – this practical introduction will help you navigate your way around Human Factors and Ergonomics approaches within the healthcare setting.Key features include:Aligned to the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors professional competencies, this book shows how these can be framed within real-life practice.Packed with case studies and helpful tips you can use in your day-to-day practice.Clear structure showing the different levels of a system with specific chapters on organisation, people, equipment and environment.Fully illustrated to facilitate your learning