Exploring the role of Human Factors and Ergonomics in supporting safe insulin dispensing in community pharmacy: a pilot webinar-based training intervention
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background Ensuring safe dispensing of insulin remains a patient safety priority in community pharmacy, with errors related to product similarity, task complexity and workload. Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) principles and methods assist in examining these system-level issues but are underused in this setting.Methods A pilot educational intervention of three 2-hour online interactive webinars was developed and delivered to pharmacy staff (n=27 to 32) in Northern Ireland. Topics covered included foundational HF/E concepts, such as the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework, Systems Thinking principles and human-centred design of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Participants applied SEIPS to a real-world insulin incident scenario to identify performance-influencing factors influencing outcomes. A simple ‘Quick Checker’ tool to support SOP development was co-designed.Results Participants identified multiple interacting system factors affecting safe insulin dispensing, including technology limitations, workflow complexity and product design. Post-session evaluation was uniformly positive: all respondents agreed the sessions were useful and improved their understanding of HF/E, and 78% (n=18/23) of those attending the session strongly agreed they could apply SEIPS in practice. Educational resources were packaged into an accessible bundle for further dissemination and the ‘Quick Checker’ guide for SOP development was produced.Conclusions This pilot demonstrated the feasibility and value of embedding HF/E education in time-pressured community pharmacy to support safer insulin dispensing. Integrating HF/E concepts into pharmacy education and development would assist in developing more resilient medication safety systems.
Source: BMJ Open Quality
Authors: Angela Carrington, Helen Vosper, Paul Bowie
Institutions: University of Aberdeen, NHS Education for Scotland
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,839
OpenAlex ID: W7225088344