Peter Brennan talk about human factors inspires doctors at GMC event
06 August 2019 (Last updated: 4 May 2020 13:13)
Following his recent PhD on human factors (HF) and medical error, Peter Brennan was invited to speak at a recent General Medical Council (GMC) meeting to tell their senior staff about the importance of human factors and effective team working to improve patient safety.
When one in 20 hospital admissions have some form of error, and 6% of these are serious, Peter Brennan argues that following basic HF principles is essential to improve patient safety.
“We talked about situational awareness, reducing hierarchy in teams and empowering juniors to speak up without fear if they have safety concerns – and loads more,” he explained to a packed room, adding that he had written about this just a few weeks earlier for the British Medical Journal (BMJ)1 following the success of another HF article in a February issue of the BMJ.2
He told the GMC regional liaison team meeting that he is working closely with British Airways pilots and now the Red Arrows to bring important HF lessons to help improve safety in medicine and surgery.
“I made it very clear that healthcare cannot be compared to aviation, but that we can use the many human factors that aviation and other high-risk organisations know so well… enhancing team working, effective communication, work load management, reducing hierarchy and professionalism among others.
“If our work on human factors prevents the death or serious error for just one patient, then we have succeeded,” he said, adding: “We are gaining recognition internationally and helping to promote our specialty as a leader in this area.”
References
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Brennan PA, Davidson M. Improving patient safety: we need to reduce hierarchy and empower junior doctors to speak up. BMJ. 2019;366:l4461
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Brennan PA, Oeppen R, Knighton J, Davidson M. Looking after ourselves at work: the importance of being hydrated and fed. BMJ. 2019;364:l528
Photo with permission of Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team the Red Arrows
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