Emergency Medicine
Accident and Emergency presents particular challenges for patient safety research and practice because of the unique nature of the clinical environment. This research theme integrates a sequence of overlapping studies, which mutually inform each other. A variety of ethnographic and human factors methods are used including direct observations, interviews, checklists, surveys, questionnaires, walkthroughs and verbal protocols.
Studies include a literature review, a review of local and national incident analyses, task analysis, reviews of the management of specific conditions, observational studies and the assessment of patients' experience and the safety culture of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.