In the first of this three article series on errors and mistakes in general practice, we explored the psychological basis for errors and biases in human behaviour that lead to mistakes, and then went on to think about the psychological limits that contribute to mistakes. In part two, we considered the field of system safety and how we can use these insights into human factors to build a safer, open learning culture in medicine based around the principles of Black Box Thinking.
In this final article, we’ll run through a hypothetical locum session (but inspired by real events!) and the typical response to errors, finally examining how a more considered, system-based approach based on the learning from psychology and Black Box thinking could promote patient safety, practice efficiency and GP morale and retention.
