Block 1: The organisation of work

Tasks, jobs, training, procedures, shifts and rosters, roles and responsibilities, teamwork.

(Salas teamwork scales)

Block 2: Culture

Blame, just culture, hierarchy, duty of candour, speaking up and reporting, incivility, patient-centredness.

(Safety Culture cards, Hospital Safety Culture survey)

Block 3: Management and leadership

Implementation science; change management; organisational learning and performance monitoring.

Block 4: Current and future directions in patient safety and system improvement

(Safety II, service user and carer involvement, automation and AI, sustainability)

Final assessment: Improvement plan

You should append (or link to) the function, tool, initiative, strategy or intervention you have selected for improvement. You will be assessed on how you apply HF/E and make the case for improvement rather than on the choice of topic/ artefact, however guidance on this choice will be given.

Examples include (but are not limited to): incident reporting functions; safety culture tools; data management or monitoring systems; audit tools; clinical algorithms or guidelines for patient management; ‘speaking up’ or ‘raising concerns’ initiatives; patient safety strategies; educational interventions.

You should apply material/ learning from the module, consider organisational factors that may interact with the artefact (LO1,2) and take into account any unintended consequences in designing a Human Factors- informed improvement (LO3,4).

Examples of HF/E-informed improvements will be provided to help meet LOs and assessment briefs and may include (but not be limited to): enhanced incident reporting systems; enhanced team-based-quality reviews; enhanced simulation-based education.

Your plan should follow convention for quality improvement covering: What are you trying to accomplish; how do you know that a change is an improvement; what changes can you make that will result in improvement.

Your improvement plan word count does not include figures, tables or references.

Formative assessments

Each teaching block will conclude with a simple formative assessment to allow students to track progress and work towards the final assessment. These will be a mixture of discussion posts, quizzes and critical appraisal tasks.

Examples for this module include:

Group critique of published ‘success stories’ in quality, improvement and implementation literature

A prospective artefact to be improved via HF/E principles and analysis for peer comment, facilitated by tutors

Students will have the option of being individually mentored by the course leads towards application for an appropriate membership level of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors. This can involve reviewing professional competencies and keeping logbook records of the HF/E activities students are undertaking.

Module Learning Outcome

6.1 Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the impact of organisational factors (structures, resources, job design, policies and procedures, data management, priorities) on safety and quality outcomes including staff and patient wellbeing

Knowledge and Understanding

6.2 Demonstrate critical awareness of systems approaches to optimising management, leadership and teamwork for organisational sustainability and/or change/improvement

Knowledge and Understanding; Inquiry; Application

6.3 Demonstrate a critical awareness of organisational culture in healthcare, including evaluating initiatives to foster transparency, civility, shared values and raising concerns

Knowledge and Understanding; Problem Solving

6.4 Demonstrate the qualities and transferable skills necessary for formulating approaches to health systems intervention based on principles of organisational ergonomics

Application; Communication; Reflection

HF/E privileges the expertise of the user in any system and aims to support them to apply tools and models systematically to design better systems. Thus the main pedagogical approach is to support students in work-based learning (this may include applying their learning in home and community environment).

Blackboard Learn Ultra will be the main application for online teaching, learning, community building, and knowledge sharing.

Material will be introduced in blocks of around 3-4 weeks. Each will have a dedicated asynchronous video introduction and a synchronous tutor-led discussion at the end, recorded. All blocks will include a mixture of audio, video and written material.

Class conversations will be enabled for selected teaching material to facilitate inquiry.

As well as general graduate attributes (see university learning outcomes) the focus is on gaining applied skills/ professionally recognised competencies in HF/E which will enhance employability across health and social care and other safety critical domains.

Successful completion of this module will require access to a computer and good internet access.

We provide:

A range of materials on Blackboard Learn Ultra Virtual Learning Environment (induction is provided) including articles, video and audio lectures and interactive activities.

A variety of digital material through Library services and specialist databases (Library and Academic Skills sessions are provided).

Software downloads and IT support.

A dedicated course lead, module leads and tutors.

Additional study support from the Academic Skills team and additional needs support from AccessAbility Services.

Shorrock, S. and Williams, C. (2016) Human Factors and Ergonomics in Practice. London: CRC Press

Bridger, R. (2017) Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics, 4th edition. London: CRC Press

Stanton NA, Salmon PM, Rafferty LA, Walker GH (2013) Human factors methods: a practical guide for engineering and design, second edition. Ashgate Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978- 140945754

Roscoe, R.D., Chiou, E.K., & Wooldridge, A.R. (Eds.). (2019). Advancing Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Through Human Systems Engineering (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429425905

Holden RJ, Rivera AJ, Carayon P. Occupational Macroergonomics: Principles, Scope, Value, and Methods. IIE Trans Occup. 2015;3(1):1-8. doi: 10.1080/21577323.2015.1027638. Epub 2015 Apr 28. PMID: 26925302; PMCID: PMC4767171.

HSE Why is Safety Culture Important? https://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/topics/culture.htm

Organizational or macro-ergonomics is concerned with the design of organizational structures, policies, and processes. Topics include theories of management, leadership and teamwork and discussion and assessment of safety culture. The design of workflow, staffing, information systems and care coordination are also covered in this module, as are political, regulatory and technological contexts and developments which may influence health system performance and human wellbeing.