What is HFE: Human Factors Engineering?

Many disciplines and philosophies influence how we design spaces for living, working, and relaxing. We have previously discussed Evidence-Based Design (EBD), the process that relies on scientific proof when making design choices (as opposed to a purely aesthetic choice or one influenced by gut feelings or anecdotal evidence). A parallel discipline is Human Factors Engineering (also called Human Factors and Ergonomics) or HFE, which looks at how people interact with systems, tools, and environments. In today's post, we will look at how HFE influences healthcare design choices, leading to healthier staff, more efficient workflows, and better patient outcomes.

The goal of HFE is optimization: Optimizing health and safety of people, optimizing their ability to do their activities individually or together (jobs, education, recreation, etc.), and optimizing the tools they use. In healthcare, HFE can influence everything from how staff move through a workspace to how a surgical tool is designed. Let's have a look at the core domains of HFE and how they might apply to healthcare.

ergonomics: the scientific study of the efficiency of people in the workplace; coined in 1950 from the Greek ergon "work" + the second element of "economics"

PHYSICAL ERGONOMICS | our bodies + our activities

Human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics and how these attributes affect physical activity. This domain looks at biological abilities and limitations such as muscle strength, range of movement, endurance, and risk of injury (both short- and long-term). The goal is to avoid physical injury and strain while optimizing output.

• General Examples: Chairs with lumbar support, anti-fatigue mats, lifting aids, tool handle design

• Healthcare Examples: Patient lift equipment (mechanical or gait belts), height-adjustable beds and work stations, articulated monitor arms, powered carts, lightweight and balanced tools

COGNITIVE ERGONOMICS | our minds + our activities

Mental functions such as attention, memory, judgement, and reaction and how these cognitive activities inform physical activities. This domain looks at how we think, process information, remember steps, interpret symbols, make decisions, deal with emotional stress - anything that takes place in the mind and influences our behavior. The goal is to take into consideration issues such as how much a person can remember at once, what errors tend to happen under what conditions, how high-stress jobs (or incidents) can compromise decisions-making, and long-term mental strain that can lead to physiological and psychological harm. 

• General Examples: Intuitive software, color-coding, dashboard layouts, training programs, mental health check-ins, safety training programs

• Healthcare Examples: Procedure/safety checklists, standardized health records, readability and error-reducing text on medicines

ORGANIZATIONAL ERGONOMICS | our minds + our activities

 Systems of people and processes and how they function together to optimize teamwork, reduce burnout, and improve outcomes. 

• General Examples: Job and shift rotations, feedback protocols, information and data sharing, improvement culture

• Healthcare Examples: Distribution of infection prevention data, patient hand-off protocols, response to errors to encourage improvement
  

Human factors engineering makes the workplace better for employees as well as for the organization as a whole by taking into consideration potential limitations and challenges and being proactive about design of tools and systems. We humans make mistakes, but we know enough about our bodies, our minds and our systems that we can be proactive when it comes to design and organization. 

One excellent example of proactive design is the use of biocidal materials in healthcare settings. We know from decades of research that people are not perfect when it comes to following cleaning and hand hygiene protocols. By proactively installing biocidal surfaces that kill disease-causing bacteria between cleanings, we utilize human factors engineering to prevent the spread of infection to vulnerable patients. Copper and copper-infused biocidal surfaces, the only surfaces EPA-registered for public health claims, bring human factor engineering into the patient room and help reduce healthcare acquired infections while also reducing unnecessary healthcare costs. Now that's optimization!