About the event
Whilst most of us never come close to needing emergency care, there are millions who do. Many, patients and responders alike, now benefit from the input of ergonomics into the design of life-saving equipment and services.
In this webinar, the result of a collaboration between the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors and the Israel Human Factors and Ergonomics Association (IHFEA), we take a fascinating look at three areas of emergency response.
- The Israeli Field Hospital in Ukraine: Dr Rami Sagi, Director of the General Medicine Department in Government Hospitals on the emergency medical delegation to the Ukraine, focuses on the challenges and the lessons learned regarding the operation of an Israeli civilian field hospital in a war zone area.
- Search and Rescue: Paramedic Mike Henson will reveal the realities of operating in hazardous conditions and shares his insights into this challenging work, describing what it’s like working in this 24/7 service. Mike also explains the role of Search and Rescue Technical Crew and provide real-world insight into the human factors challenges they face.
- Paramedic response bags: Emergency Medical Services, a complex system aimed at providing life saving treatment to critically ill patients, demands both a high level of technical competence and an ability to make and carry out decisions rapidly. Dr Yuval Bitan, a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University, describes the design and evaluation process that resulted in response bags that better serve paramedics’ specific needs during emergencies.
Who will this be of interest to?
This should be of interest to healthcare professionals, product designers, process designers and anyone using human factors to assist those working under pressure in challenging situations.
About the presenters
Fran Ives (webinar Chair) is a Chartered Human Factors Specialist working at the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN). She has worked in healthcare human factors for the last 18 years during which she provided an embedded human factors service at University Hospitals Birmingham. Her work has included inputting into the design and planning of a new hospital, working with staff to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders, the selection and procurement of equipment, and improving tasks and systems for both staff and patients.
Joan Geiger is an Ergonomic Consultant and is Chairperson of the Israel Human Factors and Ergonomics Association.
Yuval Bitan is a research scientist, human factors engineer and system analyst. He’s studying human cognitive strategies to handle incomplete and conflicting information, interaction with technologies, and its impact on decision making. His research is focused on how to implement this knowledge in the design of systems and processes, making them easier and more efficient to operate. Yuval holds a PhD in Human Factors Engineering from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, where he teaches in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and serves as the director of SimReC, the research center for simulation in healthcare.
Mike Henson has spent 16 years in the Royal Navy as aircrew and has operated is some of the harshest environments on earth. During this time, he conducted anti-piracy operations, anti-submarine operations, delivered humanitarian aid and conducted search and rescue (SAR) for which he has received multiple honours and awards. Since leaving the military, he’s served as a helicopter paramedic/winchman for Bristow Helicopters and is an Advanced SAR Paramedic. Mike has an MSc in human factors and his interest lie within the aviation, rescue and prehospital care sectors.
Rami Sagi is a Doctor of Medicine, a Pediatrician, and has Master’s degrees in Health Administration and in Political Science. He’s been an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Military Medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem since 2013. Rami served nearly 23 years in the Medical Corps Israel Defense Forces in a variety of field duties including as medical officer of a combat battalion, a regional brigade and a division. During 2012-2015 he served as the Head of the Southern Medical Command and his last role was the Deputy Surgeon General and he retired as a Colonel. From 2018-2020 he was the Deputy Director of Rabin Medical Center, one of the leading medical centers in Israel. Since then he’s been the Director of the Medical Services Division at the Ministry of Health and is responsible for promoting medical services in centres all over Israel.
Ergonomics and human factors are used synonymously here.
