Time spent with the electronic health record and performing administrative tasks has been linked to physician burnout, an important patient safety problem. This study used direct observation and time diaries to characterize the work of outpatient physicians. Investigators found that physicians spent about one-quarter of their time face-to-face with patients. Nearly half their work day was spent using the electronic health record and doing desk work. Participating clinicians spent 1–2 additional hours on the electronic health record at night. A PSNet interview with lead author Christine Sinsky calls for improving physician work satisfaction in order to improve patient safety.

Checklists have been embraced by health care as an improvement strategy, but have yielded conflicting evidence regarding their benefits. This commentary reviews different types of checklists, issues related to their use, and elements to consider when implementing a checklist.

Interruptions during medication administration are a major contributor to medication errors in hospitals. However, interventions to minimize interruptions could have unintended consequences, since certain interruptions are necessary for clinical care. To minimize interruptions while preserving a patient-centered environment, this study used a human factors engineering approach to analyze the medication preparation process and redesign the physical location where the process took place. This approach resulted in significantly fewer interruptions and improved staff satisfaction with medication administration. This study provides an excellent example of how human factors principles can be used to improve the physical environment within a hospital to enhance patient safety.

Through semi-structured interviews, this study identified strategies that pediatric nurses have developed to manage interruptions and avoid errors during medication administration.

A human factors engineering approach to improving medication label safety was hampered by numerous issues, ranging from regulatory requirements to limitations of existing information technology systems.

This study used simulated clinical scenarios to evaluate surgical and emergency medicine residents' clinical decision-making in the critical care setting. More experienced residents made fewer cognitive errors, including fewer instances of anchoring bias, than less experienced residents.