Human Factors In Healthcare​

Human factors in healthcare sit at the heart of patient safety. Most serious incidents are not due to a lack of medical knowledge, but to breakdowns in communication, teamwork, decision making and system design. As services become busier and more complex, clinicians need practical Human Factors skills just as much as clinical ones if they are to keep patients safe and support their teams under pressure.

This Human Factors in Healthcare course turns theory into everyday practice. Using real NHS scenarios, near misses and critical incidents, we explore why capable clinicians still make mistakes, how systems shape behaviour, and what you can do on the shop floor to prevent harm. You will learn a shared language for human error, risk and reliability that you can use with colleagues across disciplines.

Across the course we link key Human Factors concepts to the realities of clinical work: handovers on an overcrowded ward, decision making in theatre, situational awareness in clinic, and managing fatigue on call. You will practise simple tools you can take straight back to work, from briefing and debriefing checklists to graded assertiveness and cognitive aids.

By the end you will understand how to spot the early warning signs of trouble, design safer processes, and influence culture within your team. You will leave with practical strategies to improve patient safety, support colleagues, and demonstrate leadership in quality improvement and governance.