DESIGNING FOR PATIENT SAFETY : A REVIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DESIGN IN THE UK HEALTH SERVICE
DS 32: Proceedings of DESIGN 2004, the 8th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Year: 2004
Editor: Marjanovic D.
Author: Clarkson, P.J.; Buckle, P.; Stubbs, D.; Coleman, R.; Ward, J.; Kennedy-Martin, M.
Section: MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASPECTS OF DESIGN
Page(s): 983 - 988
Abstract
The UK Department of Health commissioned a scoping study to deliver ideas and practical recommendations for a design approach to reduce the risk of medical error and improve patient safety across the UK National Health Service. The research team employed diverse methods to gather evidence from literature, key stakeholders, and experts from within healthcare and other safety-critical industries. What emerged was a very consistent picture that pointed to the need to better understand the health care system – from a design perspective – as a complex system of interacting organisations, professions, care environments, procedures and tasks, so that there can be greater certainty that discrete design solutions will contribute to patient safety.
Keywords: medical devices, systems engineering, safety