The term "human factors" is increasingly found in the safety and quality literature, although it is not always adequately understood, according to an article in BMJ Quality and Safety. This article reviews "fictions" of human factors science. The first is that the study of human factors is about eliminating errors. Humans will always make errors, thus the concept of eliminating them is impossible. Human factors science evaluates systems that are resilient to error, using data on human characteristics and the relationship between them and work their environment. Another fiction addressed is the thought that human factors science teaches us how to change our behavior to reduce risk, instead of modifying the system to better aid people. Human factors are not focused only on the individual level; the organizational level is also addressed. The final fiction addressed is that human factors science can be mastered during brief training sessions. In fact, it is a discipline that requires years of training. The authors hope that clarifying some of the misconceptions of the study of human factors will improve its integration with healthcare quality and safety efforts.

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