A new human factors in healthcare podcast series from RCSI focuses on key issues within modern healthcare delivery, hearing from leading experts and examining important lessons in patient safety.

The Safe and Sound podcast series will provide listeners an opportunity to engage with insights on the key human-factor issues within healthcare courtesy of a wide range of healthcare professionals.

Hosted by Professor Eva Doherty, Director of Human Factors in Patient Safety, RCSI, and Dr Fardod O’Kelly, Consultant Urologist, Beacon Hospital, the 30-minute episodes address topics including unconscious bias, error, burnout and overload.

The first two episodes look at complex healthcare systems through a human-factors lens and creating a human factors culture within healthcare. The opening episode hears from Professor Doherty: As well as exploring her interest in human factors, she shares her insights on how training non-technical skills within inter-professional healthcare teams can help bridge the gap in creating safer healthcare systems.

The second episode features Martin Bromiley OBE, founder of the Clinical Human Factors Group in the UK. He provides an insight into the science behind ‘listening up’ culture to enhance non-technical skills in complex healthcare environments, and what we can learn from the airline industry in relation to human factors. 

Global groundswell

“This podcast seeks to further the mission of our human factors in patient safety initiatives within RCSI which seek to enhance patient safety in the delivery of care to patients,” said Professor Eva Doherty. 

“I am delighted that RCSI has innovated this human factors podcast series. Podcasts are an efficient way of reaching people from all kinds of different backgrounds and the more who know about human factors in healthcare the better.”  

According to Dr Fardod O’Kelly, “there is a global groundswell acknowledging the role of people, technology and economics in surgery. Many of the current issues relating to patient safety arise from human factors and how individuals and teams interact with each other and with the systems and organisations within which they work. RCSI recognised this at an early stage and established a unique and now thriving postgraduate human factors programme.  

“The aim of this podcast is to discuss these issues on a new educational and listening platform and to provide this knowledge freely both domestically and internationally. It is a privilege to spearhead this initiative and I am indebted to all those who have given their time and support with this endeavour.” 

The first two episodes of the Safe and Sound podcast are available to listen to now on the Spotify and Apple podcast platforms. Episodes will launch on the last Tuesday of every month.