Domain 5 - Key and Enabling Competencies

Optimize Human and Environmental Factors

Definition: Managing the relationship between individual and environmental characteristics to optimize patient safety.

1. Health care professionals who are able to describe the individual and environmental factors that can affect human performance understand:

1.1. The impact of fatigue and other human limitations on clinical performance

1.2. The role of attitude and professional culture in clinical practice

1.3. The role of wellness and its effect on knowledge and skill acquisition

1.4. How to integrate coping mechanisms to mitigate performance risks and ambient conditions in various practice environments

2. Health care professionals who apply techniques in critical thinking to make decisions safely are able to:

2.1. Describe the common types of cognitive biases

2.2. Model the behavioural characteristics that demonstrate situational awareness

2.3. Demonstrate a process of sound decision-making, understanding where the process can be challenged and corrected

3. Health care professionals who appreciate the impact of the human/technology interface on safe care are able to:

3.1. Define human factors and human factors engineering and understand their application in health care environments