Human Factors, Psychological Safety, and Strategies for Error-Proofing A Medical Practice

Medical error prevention is now a foundational element in ensuring patient safety and improving clinical outcomes across all specialties. This 1-hour CME/CE course, Human Factors and Medical Error Prevention, explores the complex interplay between human behavior, system design, and clinical outcomes. It provides healthcare professionals with insights into how preventable errors occur and how a team-based strategy can help mitigate risk.

Participants will learn about the human factors that contribute to medical errors, such as fatigue, communication breakdowns, workflow issues, and decision-making under pressure. The course emphasizes the integration of psychological safety in clinical teams to foster open dialogue, trust, and mutual accountability. Through practical examples and evidence-based strategies, this activity equips learners with actionable tools to create safer, more reliable healthcare environments.

This course fulfills the state-mandated CE/CME requirements for Medical Error Prevention and Medical Ethics for physicians, nurses, and physician assistants practicing in Florida, Nevada, Texas, Michigan, and the District of Columbia.

Educational Objectives

• Discuss how human processes and factors can contribute to medical mistakes in clinical practice.
• Explain how psychological safety can be integrated into your clinical team to create a safe, reliable, and accountable environment.
• Describe how a team-based practice strategy can help prevent medical mistakes in clinical care.

Who Should Take This Course

This course is designed for:

• Physicians in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Michigan, and the District of Columbia are required to obtain CME credit in Medical Error Prevention or Medical Ethics.
• Physician Assistants in Florida and Nevada.
• Nurses in Florida are seeking to fulfill their mandatory CE requirement for medical error prevention.
• Clinical teams strive to adopt a culture of safety, psychological trust, and effective communication to reduce preventable harm.

Did You Know?

• Medical errors are estimated to be the third leading cause of death in the United States. [BMJ, 2016]
• Fatigue, poor communication, and interruptions are among the most common human factors contributing to preventable harm. [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality]
• Healthcare teams that report high psychological safety experience fewer adverse events and higher job satisfaction. [Harvard Business Review, 2019]
• Implementing structured communication tools, such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), can reduce clinical errors. [Joint Commission]
• Medical ethics training often includes scenarios focused on disclosure, accountability, and error prevention protocols.