Our work extends far beyond one single health system. With a focus on increasing knowledge generation and transfer, seeking innovative strategies, and providing valuable insights to inform change, we work with more than 100 organizations in the U.S. and around the world.
The Center provides the following core services to improve healthcare safety, efficiency, and quality.
Research
Our applied research generates and disseminates new knowledge about how critical healthcare challenges, such as sepsis, for instance, are identified, tracked, and addressed in order to better support clinicians and enhance patient safety.
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Usability
With usability expertise in human capabilities and limitations, our associates contribute to user-centered product and process development where it matters most, such as in pediatric dosing charts.
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Safety advisement
By promoting a proactive, systems approach to safety, and rejecting a “blame and shame culture” surrounding errors, we drive positive outcomes for a range of external and internal clients.
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Education and outreach
Our team provides dedicated training and mentoring to the next generation of human factors specialists, domestically and globally.
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Our patient-first philosophy
As part of the MedStar Health system, the Center’s unique, patient-first philosophy provides:
- Access: Direct access to 10 hospitals and more than 280 diversified healthcare organizations in MedStar Health’s clinical environments, as well as frontline clinicians and patients in a wide array of clinical settings.
Expertise: Multi-disciplinary expertise including human factors engineers, clinicians, computer scientists, informatics experts, and environmental designers, as well as faculty partners that prioritize user needs.
Scientific Rigor: Nationally-recognized academic excellence that is operationally focused—MedStar Health is a leading medical institution and home to one of the largest graduate medical education programs, ground-breaking new technology, and a unique environment to spur innovation.
Our approach
Our systems-based approach is defined through four areas of expertise across the human factors spectrum:
Our methodology
We have expertise rigorously applying a variety of methods:
Center overview
Read the MedStar human factors center overview for the most recent summary of our work.