Sharing and Scaling: Safety in Action

Healthcare Safety and Risk Management, HIROC
HIROC staff and subscribers on a 2025 HFES panel, copy reads Safety in Action, HIROC Subscribers in the Spotlight at the 2025 International Symposium on Human factors and Ergonomics in Health Care.

HIROC Subscribers in the Spotlight at the 2025 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care

 

This past month, HIROC Subscribers shared their applied safety projects at the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care. The conference was held in Toronto from March 30 to April 2 this year.

Trevor Hall speaking at the podium in front of a slide showing climate disaster photosThe Human Factors and Ergonomics Society holds its International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care annually. It is a focused, interactive, knowledge-sharing and networking event for those who work in patient and provider safety research and practice. The symposium brought together human factors and ergonomics professionals from both the scientific and practice realms of the healthcare community – in essence, it connects those of us working together to build a safer healthcare system.

This is HIROC’s third year supporting our Subscribers at the event as they spread and scale their applied safety learnings. This year, exciting and impactful safety and risk initiatives were showcased by: Saskatchewan Health Authority, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, the Northwest Territories and Social Services Authority, Oak Valley Health, Mackenzie Health, and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada.

We talked about advancing safety around these critical topics:

  • frontline-facing strategies for improving safety in perinatal and neonatal care
  • obstetrical triage
  • intravenous acetylcysteine administration
  • the impact of catastrophes and climatic events on hospital environments (designing safe systems)

two individuals speaking to a room in front of a slide for the HFES international symposium.A huge thank you and so many congratulations to Leah Thorp (Saskatchewan Health Authority), Kendra Hutchings (Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services), Tim Van Overliw (Northwest Territories and Social Services Authority), Pam Ingley (Mackenzie Health), Erika Hammer (Oak Valley Health), and Alice Watt (ISMP Canada).

Congratulations to HIROC's Carleene Bañez, Stefano Gelmi, and Trevor Hall for supporting these safety actions. Special thanks to Dr. Anthony Soung Yee from HIROC, who acted as co-chair of the Patient Safety and Research Initiatives track at this year’s conference.

Learn more about the papers and presentations presented. 

Congratulations to many of HIROC’s Subscribers that also shared their work throughout the event: Bruyère Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Michael Garron Hospital, North York General Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital, Sinai Health, Sunnybrook Hospital, University Health Network, Waterloo Regional Health Network, and William Osler Health System.

To connect with HIROC’s Healthcare Safety and Risk Management Team to learn more, email us at [email protected].