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Introduction
Quality and safety in health care facilities are important aspects that are associated with the performance of medical workers. However, it is important to note that work performance can depend on certain human factors that influence its effectiveness.
Human factors are related to such field of knowledge as ergonomics. They can be defined as individuals’ approaches to interacting and performing their professional tasks depending on their behaviours and experience, certain circumstances, culture, and the use of equipment among other aspects (Gluyas & Hookham, 2016; Patel & Kannampallil, 2014; Waterson & Catchpole, 2016). From this perspective, it is significant to determine how human factors can be related to workplace performance in health care facilities.
It is critical for health care providers to recognise possible human factors that influence their work performance because they can affect the quality of care and safety of patients both positively and negatively. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between certain human factors, medical providers’ workplace performance, and quality and safety in health care settings. In this paper, the analysis of such topics as workloads, communication, the use of equipment, and environments that are discussed in the literature will be presented in detail.
Human Factors Related to Work Performance
The performance of health care providers in specific medical settings is usually influenced by a variety of human factors. According to Siewert and Hochman (2015), one of the most significant human factors impacting the routine of medical workers is the workload associated with work pressure. The reason is that intense workloads and inefficient schedules set without focusing on the staff’s capacity cause employees’ distraction and stress. Consequently, the process of how health care providers complete their daily tasks directly depends on the work pressure and workloads they have (Patel & Kannampallil, 2014; Siewert & Hochman, 2015).
Bowie and Jeffcott (2016) stated that increased work pressure due to high workloads usually leads to specialists’ fatigue and anxiety that negatively affect work performance and the speed of completing tasks. Gluyas and Hookham (2016) asserted that inadequate workloads are often the result of shortages in medical staff that directly lead to worsening performance in health care facilities. Thus, such a human factor as a workload associated with increased work pressure is directly related to increasing the likelihood of medical errors and decreasing the quality of workplace performance.
Another important human factor that affects work performance is a communication process between health care providers that is actively described in scholarly papers on the problem. According to Carayon et al. (2014), much attention should be paid to communication between team members that constantly affects their performance. The researchers state that the focus on using advanced technologies can guarantee the improvement of communication between health care workers with the emphasis on improving work processes and performance because of standardised communication and clarifications received (Bowie & Jeffcott, 2016; Hignett et al., 2015).
As it is stated by Bowie and Jeffcott (2016), effective communication mediated with the help of technologies contributes to improving workplace performance in health care settings because of the efficient use of time. Furthermore, the sharing of important data should be guaranteed through an effective standardised process to handle diverse information on patients (Carayon et al., 2014; Waterson & Catchpole, 2016). The research indicates that communication in health care settings is a critical factor to influence work performance because tasks to complete and the use of available data directly depend on the quality of communication.
One more human factor to discuss with reference to the literature on the topic is the use of equipment and technology in health care facilities. Following Siewert and Hochman (2015) and Gluyas and Hookham (2016), it is possible to state that the performance of medical workers can depend on their competence in using available equipment, tools, and technologies in order to diagnose diseases and provide treatment and care. Information technologies and modern equipment used in health care facilities are usually utilised for making health care routines more effective, but the problem is observed when health care providers cannot operate these technologies efficiently (Carayon et al., 2014; Mao et al., 2015).
For example, when employees appropriately use electronic health records, their productivity and performance improve because of saving time and resources (Waterson & Catchpole, 2016; Wetterneck et al., 2014). However, according to Carayon et al. (2014), not all medical workers are trained to use equipment in the most efficient manner. As a result, it is possible to note that, in their works, researchers tend to refer to both positive and negative aspects of using equipment and technology in relation to stimulating workplace performance.
The authors of studies on the topic of the relationship between human factors and work performance are also inclined to identify such an important factor as the environment. In their studies, experts discuss characteristic features of both physical and work environments in order to understand how they can influence workplace performance (Carayon et al., 2014; Patel & Kannampallil, 2014; Xie & Carayon, 2015).
A physical environment associated with physical layouts, available spaces, lighting, and noise can have a direct positive or negative impact on the performance of tasks by nurses and physicians because any distractions related to these aspects can lead to medical errors (Siewert & Hochman, 2015; Wetterneck et al., 2014).
On the other hand, work environments associated with the human aspect also play a key role in affecting the quality of health care providers’ work because the level of their cooperation with colleagues influences productivity and the speed of completing tasks (Waterson & Catchpole, 2016). From this perspective, environments, as well as workloads, communication, and the use of equipment and technology, can also impact the workplace performance of health care professionals.
The Relationship Between Human Factors and Quality and Safety
An inadequate workload and associated work pressure have a negative effect on the quality of care and safety related to patients’ outcomes in health care settings. Researchers state that work pressure and fatigue lead to constant stress and burnout in medical workers that result in decreases in motivation and the quality of performing tasks (Bowie & Jeffcott, 2016; Hignett et al., 2015; Waterson & Catchpole, 2016).
What is more important is that intense workloads are associated with medical errors because health care providers begin to experience anxiety and their concentration decrease. Consequently, safety of patients in health care environments becomes significantly affected (Hignett et al., 2015).
Carayon et al. (2014) and Mao et al. (2015) pay attention to the fact that inadequate workloads are typical of many health care organisations, and this aspect is the cause of medical errors, missed diagnoses, and the inappropriate quality of care associated with time pressure. Thus, researchers agree that there is a relationship between such human factors as the workload and work pressure and quality and safety, and the problem is that these factors have an obvious negative effect on patients’ outcomes.
Communication is also regarded as an important human factor that can significantly influence quality and safety in the context of health care. As it is noted in the studies by Xie and Carayon (2015) and Gluyas and Hookham (2016), ineffective communication between medical workers usually leads to decreasing the quality of delivered services and to the ineffective management of prescriptions. Moreover, problems in communication between health care providers also result in affecting the safety of patients because physicians and nurses cannot efficiently share data related to patients and distribute tasks to complete (Wetterneck et al., 2014).
Nevertheless, Siewert and Hochman (2015) state that the modern communication between medical workers is standardised and the use of appropriate technologies for exchanging data and notes minimises errors. Despite the focus on technology-driven communication in health care organisations, the problem is also observed in terms of face-to-face communication in teams. Ineffective communication between team members can lead to decreasing the quality of provided services for patients (Mao et al., 2015). A negative impact of communication on quality and safety is associated with an inappropriate organisation of a communication process and the use of technology.
One more important human factor to consider is the use of equipment and technology available for medical workers in health care settings. The implementation of new equipment and advanced technologies in hospitals and other health care facilities is usually associated with improving the quality of treatment and care and improving safety while minimising the risk of errors (Carayon et al., 2014; Gluyas & Hookham, 2016).
However, researchers also state that the inappropriate use of equipment and technology because of the lack of training in health care providers can lead to significant negative impacts on patients and their physical and emotional state (Bowie & Jeffcott, 2016; Hignett et al., 2015). If medical workers have limited knowledge regarding the use of innovative equipment and technologies integrated in working processes in health care settings, risks of medical errors and the inefficient use of time and other resources can increase.
An additional human factor that is in direct relationships with quality and safety in health care settings is the environment, which should be discussed in both physical and cognitive terms. Researchers pay attention to the fact that a physical environment can negatively affect the quality of care and safety of patients if the work space is not organised appropriately and there is limited access to equipment and computers within this space (Carayon et al., 2014; Patel & Kannampallil, 2014; Waterson & Catchpole, 2016).
Moreover, when a physical environment is ineffectively arranged by medical workers, the quality of treatment can also be affected (Mao et al., 2015). Researchers point at unnecessary interruptions and noise in this context that are directly associated with the safety of patients because these aspects can prevent health care providers from performing their roles effectively (Gluyas & Hookham, 2016; Patel & Kannampallil, 2014). From this perspective, the factor of a physical environment can directly influence the quality of care.
Still, a group of researchers accentuated a work environment as the more important factor to influence quality and safety. Thus, the organisation of a work environment in a health care facility with the focus on determining a team structure and distributing roles also significantly influences quality and safety in relation to care provision (Carayon et al., 2014; Xie & Carayon, 2015). The discussion of the selected human factors in the scholarly literature indicates that certain aspects can be directly related to changes in quality and safety connected with patient outcomes (Bowie & Jeffcott, 2016; Gluyas & Hookham, 2016; Hignett et al., 2015).
These human factors include increased workloads associated with work pressure, communication processes, the use of equipment and technology, and physical and work environments, and changes in quality and safety can be both positive and negative.
Conclusion
The main human factors that are widely discussed in the recent literature in their relationship to work performance and quality and safety in health care facilities include workloads and work pressure. In addition, these factors include communication between medical workers, the use of equipment and technology, as well as specific physical and work environments. The impact of these human factors on workplace performance of health care professionals can be both positive and negative depending on the nature of these factors. Increased or inadequate workloads, the associated high pressure and stress, inappropriate communication between colleagues, the inability to use technology and medical equipment effectively, and unstable work environments can be viewed as decreasing work performance.
Moreover, the determined human factors described in different studies on the topic are also in relationships with such aspects as quality and safety in providing care. If these factors are positively addressed by health care providers, the quality of treatment and safety of patients can potentially increase. However, if these factors have a negative effect on work performance, they also influence quality and safety, leading to undesirable outcomes for patients. Thus, it is essential for medical workers to recognise human factors that can affect their work performance because of their potential positive or negative impact on the quality of care and the safety of patients.
References
Bowie, P., & Jeffcott, S. (2016). Human factors and ergonomics for primary care. Education for Primary Care, 27(2), 86-93.
Carayon, P., Wetterneck, T. B., Rivera-Rodriguez, A. J., Hundt, A. S., Hoonakker, P., Holden, R., & Gurses, A. P. (2014). Human factors systems approach to healthcare quality and patient safety. Applied Ergonomics, 45(1), 14-25.
Gluyas, H., & Hookham, E. M. (2016). Human factors and the death of a child in hospital: A case review. Nursing Standard, 30(31), 46-51.
Hignett, S., Jones, E. L., Miller, D., Wolf, L., Modi, C., Shahzad, M. W.,… Catchpole, K. (2015). Human factors and ergonomics and quality improvement science: Integrating approaches for safety in healthcare. BMJ Quality & Safety, 24(4), 250-254.
Mao, X., Jia, P., Zhang, L., Zhao, P., Chen, Y., & Zhang, M. (2015). An evaluation of the effects of human factors and ergonomics on health care and patient safety practices: A systematic review. PloS One, 10(6), 1-19.
Patel, V. L., & Kannampallil, T. G. (2014). Human factors and health information technology: Current challenges and future directions. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 9(1), 58-66.
Siewert, B., & Hochman, M. G. (2015). Improving safety through human factors engineering. Radiographics, 35(6), 1694-1705.
Waterson, P., & Catchpole, K. (2016). Human factors in healthcare: Welcome progress, but still scratching the surface. BMJ Quality & Safety, 25(7), 480-484.
Wetterneck, T., Kelly, M. M., Carayon, P., Sesto, M., Tevaarwerk, A., Chui, M.,… Beasley, J. (2014). Improving quality and safety through human factors collaborations with healthcare: The system engineering initiative for patient safety. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 58(1), 728-732.
Xie, A., & Carayon, P. (2015). A systematic review of human factors and ergonomics (HFE)-based healthcare system redesign for quality of care and patient safety. Ergonomics, 58(1), 33-49.
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