Clinical Human Factors Group The group aims to enhance patient safety by combining human factors with an approach to change informed by improvement science

The Clinical Human Factors Group was set up by Martin Bromiley with support from the Health Foundation in 2007.
Established as an independent campaign group, it aims to stimulate dialogue and demonstrate how a better understanding of the role of human factors.
Includes a broad coalition of health care professionals, managers and users of services who have partnered with experts in human factors from health care and other high-risk industries to campaign for change in the NHS.

Aims

The Clinical Human Factors Group aims to enhance patient safety by combining human factors with an approach to change informed by improvement science. There is a growing evidence base to support this and considerable support exists among clinicians, managers and users of health services. It aims to:

Develop an evidence-base to demonstrate the role human factors plays in patient safety.
Raise awareness across the NHS of the important role human factors plays in improving patient safety.
Campaign for human factors training to be included in the curricula and training that is delivered to wide range of health care staff.

If these aims are achieved, the risk of harm to patients through a systems or human error should be drastically reduced.

Projects

The group has been involved in a number of projects including:

A ‘buddy/mentoring’ system to support senior leaders in the health service in understanding human factors
A series of seminars for practitioners in the health service
A series of publications including ‘How safe are clinical systems?’
Creating a human factors learning resource for NHS Boards
Producing a human factors 'How to Guide Part 2' resource

The programme has learned that achieving changes in the health service is more than a straightforward issue of awareness raising combined by training. That approach has worked very well in industries such as aviation, but the health system is much more complex. It requires a more networked, sophisticated and influencing approach at all levels.

More about the Clinical Human Factors Group can be found on its website and LinkedIn group.