Why human factors is about more than communication and teamwork

How human factors and ergonomics can improve nurses’ workplaces and create safer, streamlined services that take account of the realities of working in healthcare

In the UK, human factors and ergonomics are interchangeable terms. Both look at the way humans interact with each other and the systems and processes in which we live and work.

How human factors and ergonomics in healthcare can be used in complex systems

Human factors and ergonomics (HFE) in healthcare is predominantly linked to non-clinical skills, such as communication, teamwork and situational stress management. Although these are important aspects of HFE and are key to understanding how we respond to emergencies and high stress situations, this is a just a small aspect of applying HFE in practice.