Human Factors I and II Flashcards
1
Q
What are human factors?
A
- Aim to minimise clinical error and maximise patient safety
- Operates on technical level (how individuals work) and non-technical level (personal skills)
2
Q
Give examples of non-technical skills.
A
- Cognition
- Decision-making
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Personality and behaviour
- Communication
3
Q
Describe the two types of cognition.
A
- AUTOMATIC - learned from repeated experience - well practiced procedures and relies on pattern recognition
- ANALYTIC - requires more mental effort. Linked to physiological changes
4
Q
Compare and contrast automatic and analytic factors.
A
- ANALYTIC - Slower, working memory involved, high awareness, fewer errors made
- OPPOSITE FOR AUTOMATIC FACTORS
5
Q
What are the stages of decision making?
A
- Assessing situaation and defining the problem
- Generating and weighing up one or more options
- Selecting and implementing option
- Reviewing outcome
6
Q
What are the advantages and disadvantages of recognition-primed decision making?
A
- ADVANTAGES - Rapid recognition, less mental effort, useful in routine situations, stress resistant
- DISADVANTAGES - Assumption of experience, difficult to justify if error made
7
Q
What are the advantages and disadvantages of rule-based decision making?
A
- ADVANTAGES - Useful for life-threatening emergencies. Useful for novices. Easy to justify without having to explain reasoning behind decisions.
- DISADVANTAGES - Time-consuming to consult protocol. Possible to miss steps, misunderstand rules.
8
Q
What is needed for situation awareness to be achieved?
A
- Information gathered accurately, recalled and processed to anticipate future changes
9
Q
What are the 3 steps of a situational awareness check?
A
- Conscious identification of the features of the current situation, considering possible hypotheses about the situation
- Conscious review of alternative hypotheses
- Seeking external evidence to decide between alternative hypotheses
10
Q
What are the main threats to situational awareness?
A
- Confirmation and conformational bias
- Disturbed by high workload, fatigue, distractions, lack of communication/leadership/experience
11
Q
What are the characteristics of a team in healthcare?
A
- One goal
- Members have different roles
- Structured decision making process
12
Q
What are the characteristics of good teamwork?
A
- Coordinating activities
- Exchanging information
- Solving conflicts
- Supporting others
13
Q
What are the benefits of teamwork?
A
- Reduction in errors
- Patient satisfaction
- Improvement in motivation and wellbeing
- Reduction in mortality
- Reduction in patient time in hospital
14
Q
What are most accidents usually caused by?
A
- Organisational failures
- Unsafe supervision
- Preconditions for unsafe acts
- Unsafe acts
15
Q
What should a good leader do?
A
- Direct and coordinate team
- Encourage and motivate team
- Plan and organise
- Delegate tasks
