Human Factors within practice part 3: Task & patient safety with Jim Walmsley

In this conversation we will examine the fundamentals of human factors within tasks with Jim Walmsley. We will focus on Human factors from a task perspective refer to the ways in which the design of a task or activity can affect the safety and performance of the individuals performing it. We will examine the concept of task complexity, task variability, task duration and demands, feedback mechanisms in place to learn from, clearly defined goals, and finally task design. We will also discuss some of the mitigation factors involved in environmental design, training and skill development, task analysis to error trap, and teamwork and communication.  

To do this I have Jim Walmsley with me, Jim is a specialist paramedic in critical care. He has led expeditions for various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in and around Europe since 1996, and in 2001 he obtained his carnet as an International Mountain Leader, alongside additional outdoor qualifications in climbing, kayaking, and the rope access industry. As a qualified Critical Care Paramedic, he’s spent the last nineteen years specialising in pre-hospital critical care, after initially training and working in Sheffield. Having completed an MSc in clinical research and a PgDip in critical care, he now resides the Southeast of England. In the conversation we examine:

·      What is human factors from Jim’s perspectives 

·      How task human factors have affected Jim in the past - A case that is seminal and typifies the importance of human factors 

·      The classic offenders - unfamiliarity with the task, inexperience, a shortage of time, inadequate checking, poor procedures.

·      Task complexity & variability 

·      Task duration and demands. 

·      Feedback mechanisms in practice 

·      Defined and clear goal setting 

·      Design flow to mitigate 

·      Training skill and development 

·      Task analysis to error trap 

·      Teamwork and comms 

I hope you enjoy this final episode in the series on human factors within practice.