Human Factors in Healthcare: Designing Safe Systems

Janet Anderson is Professor of Human Factors in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Monash University, an honorary professor at the University of Stavanger, Norway. She has held academic positions at University of Surrey (2004-2008), King's College London (2008-2020), and City, University of London (2020-2021). She is a long-standing member of the UK Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors and was the leader of the Healthcare Special Interest Group in 2013-16. The aim of her research is to improve the quality and safety of care using Human Factors theories and frameworks. She is an expert in resilient healthcare systems, organisations and teams and has pioneered the development of theories, methods and guidance in this area.

Raphaela Schnittker works as a Senior Quality and Improvement Specialist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at Monash University. Raphaela holds a PhD in Human Factors from Monash University. Prior to this she completed postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications in Psychology at the University of Twente (the Netherlands). Raphaela has worked in applying Human Factors science to healthcare settings for more than ten years, both in Academia and government.

Nathan Farrow is a PhD scholar and consultant human factors specialist with more than 20 years of experience working in human factors, quality, safety, risk management and clinical practice in healthcare, rail, military and other high-risk industries. He has post-graduate qualifications in safety science, adult education and critical care nursing and substantial experience in accident investigation and systems analysis methods. His PhD research is in Resilience Engineering in the emergency department context with a focus in understanding the impact of adaptive capacity on patient flow. Nathan is passionate about applying his human factors and clinical expertise to achieve the safety outcomes healthcare consumers and clinicians need and expect.

Deena Soma is a Human Factors Research Fellow in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Monash University. She is also a Human Factors Consultant and OHS professional with experience across varied industries including healthcare. Deena is a member of the Safer Care Victoria Academy that serves to support healthcare improvement. As an Occupational Therapist, she has worked clinically across the continuum of care in Australia and the NHS in the United Kingdom. Deena holds a Master of Science Human Factors & Ergonomics degree from Loughborough University, United Kingdom; Bachelor of Ergonomics and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy double degree from La Trobe University, Australia. Deena enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for human factors application to enhance system design and safety.