About the Human Factors Short Course

The goal of this short course is to introduce Human Factors science and its application to healthcare. Human Factors (also referred to as Ergonomics) is concerned with the understanding of the interactions between humans and other elements of a complex system. The goal of Human Factors science is to apply theory, methods and principles to optimise the design of systems to enhance human performance and overall system safety (International Ergonomics Association, 2019). Think of medical device design, simulation-based training, design of guidelines and protocols, team dynamics and organisational management.

Course objectives

1. The broad and diverse discipline of Human Factors and why Human Factors science is essential to healthcare.
2. How to perform Human Factors research in healthcare using key Human Factors methods such as hierarchical task analysis, user-centred design and AcciMap.
3. Specific examples of how to apply Human Factors research methods to healthcare challenges such as interruption management and teamwork in time pressured emergencies.
4. Resilience Engineering as a recent movement within Human Factors Engineering and the important role of strengthening resilient performance in healthcare.

Time Commitment:

6 hours per week (on average)

Information

•  6 week course.
•  Online only, no on-campus attendance required.
•  Course content is available on a new, user-friendly teaching platform.
•  No assessments or minimum pass mark.
•  6 topics (one per week).
•  Allows for flexibility in work patterns – once released, lectures and reading material can be viewed at own pace and at any time.
•  Ideal for international students who reside outside of Australia/New Zealand.
•  Certificate of completion emailed at the end of the course.

Course Flyer

Download Course Flyer

Eligibility

Anyone who is interested in Human Factors can register for this course.

•  Hospital Doctors
•  General Practitioners
•  Public Health clinicians
•  Allied health practitioners
•  Health service managers
•  Quality and Safety managers

Why participate?

Human Factors (Ergonomics) is an established discipline in many industries such as manufacturing, power generation and military settings. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES www.hfes.org) has been established over 60 years, but only recently has its importance in the delivery of safe, effective health care been recognised.

Human factors as a science seeks to design the work environment to make best use of the human operator to improve efficiency and safety. In terms of health, this includes the processes, equipment and training for delivery of high-quality care.

This course will provide an introduction to the practical application of human factors principles to organisational and clinical settings. By doing so, it will encourage the participants to improve patient safety at a managerial or clinical level with a broader base of skills than is commonly available within health services.

Course structure

SIX topics will be offered in this course released on a weekly basis.

No Assessments.

Course topics

1. Module 1 - Human Factors Engineering and varieties of human work by Dr. Steve Shorrock
2. Module 2 - Studying interruptions in healthcare System resilience in healthcare by Dr. Chiara Santomauro Dr. Sudeep Hegde
3. Module 3 - User centred design and designing for team work by Dr. Mia McLanders
4. Module 4 - Hierarchical Task Analysis by Stuart Dickinson
5. Module 5 - AcciMap and other system techniques by Assoc. Prof. Sharon Newnam, Dr. Natassia Goode
6. Module 6 - System resilience in healthcare by Dr. Sudeep Hegde

Please Note: Topics will be subject to change. Last Updated: December 2020

Course dates

March course:
29 March - 7 May

August course:
23 August - 1 October

Course Convenors

Dr. Stuart Marshall

Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Medical Education, University of Melbourne and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Monash University.

Mr. Garry Mann

Human Factors practitioner, working in Perioperative Medicine and Anaesthesia at Alfred Health and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Graduated from the University of Queensland in 2019 with First Class Honours.

Our Speakers

Assoc. Prof. Sharon Newnam

Speaker

Organisational Psychologist, Monash University Accident Research Centre.

Dr. Steven Shorrock

Speaker

Adj. Assoc. Prof. Centre for Human Factors & Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast, Psychologist, Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist.

Dr. Mia McLanders

Speaker

Adj. Lecturer University of Queensland, PhD in Psychology, The University of Queensland

Dr. Chiara Santomauro

Speaker

Adj. Lecturer University of Queensland, PhD in Human Factors Psychology, University of Queensland.

Dr. Sudeep Hegde

Speaker

Research Associate, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University at Buffalo, New York

Dr. Natassia Goode

Speaker

Ergonomist at WorkSafe Victoria, Adj. Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast.

Mr. Stuart Dickinson

Speaker

Human Factors Specialist

2021 Registrations Now open

OPEN

Wednesday, 13 January 10 AM AEST - for both March and August courses

CLOSE

• March Course - Sunday, 28 March
• August Course - Sunday, 15 August

Download Course Flyer

Register AUD $700 (inc GST)