Human Factors Engineering : Streamlining Processes That Support Infection Prevention and Control
By Kelly M . Pyrek
Increasingly , the study of how humans interact with Editor ’ s note systems is being applied to the implementation of infection prevention and control ( IP & C ) principles and This review of HFE practices , as human factors engineering ( HFE ) encompasses the physical and organizational environment , is by no means comprehensive and due to space , the tools and the technologies used by healthcare excludes the body professionals . HFE can be used to identify , analyze and of behavioral evaluate how these components interact to decrease science evidence the risk of healthcare-acquired infections ( HAIs ). that has been
“ HFE can have significant positive impacts on IP & C ,” shown to confirms Patrice D . Tremoulet , PhD , assistant professor affect infection in the Department of Psychology at Rowan University in prevention Glassboro , N . J ., and a human factors scientist at ECRI . and control “ HFE can be applied to help to design technologies that interventions . facilitate IP & C , to help develop or streamline processes that support IP & C , and to improve training so people can more effectively apply IP & C best practices .”
In their paper , Storr , et al . ( 2013 ) examined the prevention of infection through a human factors lens and asked , “… what does the discipline of human factors have to offer and how can we harness its expertise and momentum to the benefit of patient safety ?” They answer their own question by noting , “ Infection prevention or , where possible , the elimination of HAIs sits , quite rightly , squarely in the wider domain of patient safety . It is , as has been quoted many times , everyone ’ s responsibility . Improving patient safety is predicated on an understanding of the interactions within healthcare between humans , including the practices and procedures they perform , the work environment , the organization itself , teamwork , technology , and the value systems and culture behind these , commonly referred to as its safety climate or culture . An urgent need to understand and address these interactions has seen the relatively recent arrival of the approach to improvement known as ‘ human factors ’ into the broader domain of patient safety .”
Storr , et al . ( 2013 ) add further , “ A fundamental tenet of human factors thinking is that human error is not absolutely preventable and systems need to be designed that are resilient when human errors occur . Systems in healthcare must be designed with the capability to prevent errors occurring , mitigate the harm of any error that cannot be prevented , and recognize the occurrence of errors such that actual harm to patients can be prevented – so error does not lead to catastrophe .”
Drews , et al . ( 2020 ) emphasize that HFE can provide conceptual frameworks and methods that benefit infection prevention and control and improve overall healthcare safety . As the authors acknowledge , “ Healthcare as a complex socio-technical system with many interacting components is well positioned to benefit from human factors engineering ( HFE ). Among the components are