Improving Care Transitions in Healthcare: A Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE) Approach

Delivering safe healthcare often involves multi-disciplinary teams working across multiple locations. Care transitions are required to provide continuity of care and are often fail due to this type of complexity. Care transitions occur in numerous settings, for example: during shift changes, transfer between wards, or during discharge to the patient’s home (WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions 2007). The aim of the panel will be to discuss different types of care transitions and how HFE can assist in improving patient safety and efficiency of the process. The panel will discuss and share lessons learnt from a range of projects involving care transitions for pediatric trauma care (Woolridge), and barriers and facilitators to follow-up care for bone marrow transplant survivors (Sesto). In addition, the work system elements for care transitions for elective orthopedic patients (Carman), elderly patients after heart failure hospitalization (Holden) and risks to elderly patients’ safe medication management (Gurses) when transitioning from hospital to home will be discussed.