Title: A new framework for optimisation and effectiveness of service operations approaches to reduce human errors in healthcare

Authors: Hadi Balouei Jamkhaneh; Reza Shahin; Maria Chiara Leva

Addresses: Department of Industrial Management, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, 7516913817, Iran ' COSYS-ESTAS, Univ Gustave Eiffel, IFSTTAR, Univ Lille, F-59650 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France ' School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Abstract: Human errors in healthcare socio-technical systems can be a serious threat to patient safety. This study provides an integrated and systematic framework for assessing and optimising service operations approaches (SOA) that are effective in human errors reduction. For this, a pilot study was used to test the combination of three methods for a complete process to help identify ways to improve exposure to human error by selecting an optimal strategy. Based on experts' opinions, we performed a risk assessment using failure modes and effects analysis for each human error and a risk priority number (RPN) was assigned for each failure mode. Next, a house of quality approach was applied to identify the impact that different SOAs may have on improving human errors in healthcare. Ultimately, in order to select the optimal SOA, a zero one goal programming model was used to consider simultaneously resources limitations and the error reduction.

Keywords: service quality; human error analysis; service operations approaches; SOAs; failure modes and effects analysis; FMEA; quality function deployment; QFD; zero one goal programming; ZOGP.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHFE.2021.116067

International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2021 Vol.8 No.2, pp.157 - 182

Received: 24 Oct 2020
Accepted: 31 Dec 2020

Published online: 07 Jul 2021 *

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