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Health Services Research & Development

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2009 HSR&D National Meeting Abstract


National Meeting 2009

2005 — Understanding Human Error: A Human Factors Perspective

Drews FA (VA Salt Lake City)

Workshop Objectives:
Human error is an important contributor to negative clinical outcomes. Currently there are a number of different approaches and theories towards understanding and remediation of error. The goal of this workshop is to help participants understand the psychological and organizational underpinnings that lead to suboptimal performance of clinicians and how to mitigate the negative consequences of erroneous behavior. This workshop will focus on a Human Factors perspective that borrows heavily from cognitive and industrial and organizational psychology, and other disciplines. Attendees will learn about how to use a Human Factors framework that helps them to identify error and reduce its occurrence by applying a systemic perspective.

Activities:
This workshop will: 1) Provide an introduction to human factors approaches towards human error by contrasting a historical perspective and comparing it with a more contemporary approach; 2) Provide a perspective on how failure to implement human Factors sets up health care practitioners for failure that otherwise could be avoided; 3) Provide an overview of a basic human cognitive architecture of information processing and describing how this particular architecture was effective in certain evolutionary environments but causes problems in the highly complex environment of health care; and 4) Explore the interest in creating a more intensive training workshop for VA health services researchers.

Target Audience:
All health services researchers interested in learning about the capabilities and applications of human factors and the potential of human factors approaches to reduce the prevalence of error in the context of complex human systems interactions.

Assumed Audience Familiarity with Topic:
This workshop is designed to be introductory without special preparation required.


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