title: Patient safety - the role of human factors and systems engineering.
abstract: Patient safety is a global challenge that requires knowledge and skills in multiple areas, including human factors and systems engineering. In this chapter, numerous conceptual approaches and methods for analyzing, preventing and mitigating medical errors are described. Given the complexity of healthcare work systems and processes, we emphasize the need for increasing partnerships between the health sciences and human factors and systems engineering to improve patient safety. Those partnerships will be able to develop and implement the system redesigns that are necessary to improve healthcare work systems and processes for patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement (CQPI), University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. carayon@engr.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carayon
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D017751:Safety Management; D018511:Systems Integration