Excitement levels are rising with the IEA2024 Congress less than a month away! Registrations are still open for a limited time, and we hope that many of you will register and attend, either online or in person. Further details are provided in the update of the “IEA2024 Congress” in this edition. “Upcoming Events” includes several HFE events taking place in the latter half of 2024. It includes information on the DHM2025 summer school, an International Webinar Series organised by the Italian Society of Ergonomics and two conferences taking place in December 2024. In the Spotlight on IEA Technical Committees feature, we showcase the Healthcare Ergonomics Technical Committee and the valuable work that they are doing to apply HFE to healthcare for improved patient safety and healthcare worker well-being and performance.
In the month of July, the IEA NewsBriefs has been handed over to a new editor, Abigail Du Plessis. The IEA community would like to extend our immense gratitude to Sma Ngcamu-Tukulula for her dedication to the IEA NewsBriefs over the past two and a half years. We hope to receive your continued support and commitment to sharing all your HFE updates with the global IEA community and we look forward to receiving further updates that will be of interest to our community. Going forward, please send your HFE updates to abigaildup@icloud.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
IEA2024 Congress
With the IEA Congress being mere weeks away, it is all systems go! If you have not yet registered, you still have a chance to do so. Follow the easy 5-step registration process to secure your spot here: https://www.iea2024.com/registration/01.html?sMenu=01. Regular registration is still open for a limited time, but make sure you register before the closing date of the 6th August, 2024. The presentation guidelines have recently been released and we are looking forward to hearing from many of you in Jeju, South Korea, from 25-29th August, 2024 and acquiring valuable insights into current HFE research and practice. In the meantime, check out the conference keynote speakers here https://www.iea2024.com/program/04.html?sMenu=04 and look out for other conference updates on the conference website: https://www.iea2024.com/. The program should be announced before the end of July.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ASPIRE – the HFES International Annual Meeting – 9-13th September, 2024, Phoenix
The HFES International Annual Meeting is now ASPIRE! As our 68th International Meeting, the mission of ASPIRE is to Advance Systems and Practices through Innovation, Research and Education. ASPIRE is an IEA-endorsed educational experience.
ASPIRE remains the great Annual Meeting of HFES that you know with new elements to help us break new ground, grow, connect and make the world a better place through the application of our specialized body of knowledge.
Join us September 9-13, 2024, in Phoenix at ASPIRE to advance your knowledge, expand your network, meet with exhibitors, socialize and engage with thought leaders in Human Factors and Ergonomics.
H Factor: The Research in Ergonomics – International Webinar Series: September 2024-November 2024
The Società Italiana di Ergonomia e Fattori Uman (Italian Society of Ergonomics and Human Factors), a federated IEA society, is conducting an International Webinar Series titled “H Factor: The Research in Ergonomics”. This International Webinar Series serves as a dynamic platform for discussing advancements in applied research in HFE. This International Webinar Series aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by stimulating debate among researchers and practitioners. Each webinar session will focus on a specific publication that has been published or is the process of being published. A moderator will lead substantive reflection sessions that aim to highlight the practical implications of the research findings. These webinar sessions will foster academic discourse and enhance practical application, making it of interest to anyone within the field of Ergonomics.
The Schedule is as follows:
1st Webinar: 19 September 2024, 18:00-19:00 (Rome time zone)
Title: “Neuroergonomics and optimal brain imaging: Towards Ubiquitous and Continuous Measurement of Brain Function during Everyday Life”
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrc-6orj8iHtTF6Q9l1SR-fMFJhrPRPzWB
2nd Webinar: 24 October 2024, 18:00-19:00 (Rome time zone)
Title: “Human Factors at the core of collaborative intelligence application in safety critical systems:
lessons learnt from the Marie Curie project CISC”
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItf-Cqrz0jH9bGxc2WrnrlsjZfucuqCKaF
3rd Webinar: 21 November 2024, 18:00-19:00 (Rome time zone)
Title: “From the lab to construction sites: a five-year project to develop application guidelines for
the implementation of arm support exoskeletons in construction”
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvf-6tqTMiGdZ2g4BFEAremNXQaneCXZre
More information on this webinar series can be found here: https://m4v211.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/H-Factor-research-in-ergonomics-programme.pdf
DHM2025 Summer School: 23-25th September, 2024, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
DHM2025 is an international school organized by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, the 4D4ALL scan lab, and the International Ergonomics Association’s Technical Committee of Digital Human Modelling and Simulation.
For more information, please contact Sofia Scataglini: sofia.scataglini@uantwerpen.be
10th International Ergonomics Conference – Ergonomics 2024: 5-6th December 2024, Zagreb, Croatia
The Croatian Ergonomics Society (CrES), a federated IEA society, is organising its 10th International Ergonomics Conference which will take place 5-6th December, 2024. The CrES will be celebrating 50 years since its founding during the conference. The conference will bring together enthusiasts, experts and scientists in the field and hopes to have 80 participants from around the world. Some important dates for abstract and full paper submissions are provided below.
Abstract Submission
31 July 2024
Communicate for Acceptance of Abstract
14 August 2024
Final Full Paper Submission
1 October 2024
Notification of Full Paper Acceptance
1 November 2024
Conference Days
5-6 December 2024
More information about the conference and registration process can be found here: https://www.h-e-d.hr/conferences.htm
Humanizing Work and Work Environment (HWWE) Conference: 13-15th December, 2024, Kolkata, India
The Indian Society of Ergonomics, a federated IEA society, is organising its annual Humanizing Work and Work Environment Conference (HWWE 2024), which will be held from 13-15th December, 2024 at the University of Calcutta in India. Under the theme: “Ergonomics for Everyone Future challenges in Health, Safety and Design” the conference will put together a comprehensive program that aims to shed light on how a future with optimal work environments that prioritize well-being and efficiency may be achieved. Some of the important conference dates related to abstract submission and registration are provided below.
Important Dates
Abstract Submission Due
15 August 2024
Communicate for Acceptance of Abstract
15 September 2024
Camera ready Paper Submission Due
15 October 2024
Early Bird Registration
Till 15 September 2024
For Regular Registration
From 16 September 2024
More information about the conference and registration process can be found here: https://m4v211.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Flyer-HWWE_2024.pdf
Event updates
Please note that there will be no further IEA Webinars until after IEA2024.
Just before IEA2024 the IEA Council will convene, and elect the officers (President, Vice President/Secretary General, Vice President/Treasurer) for the next triennial term (2024-2027). Following this election a new executive committee will be formed. The executive committee is composed of the officers and appointed Chairs of the five Standing Committees plus the past president (Chair of Awards) and the chair of the next IEA Triennial Congress. The Standing Committees are:
– Science, Technology and Practice
– Professional Standards and Education
– International Development (building up the IEA network)
– Development and Promotion (improving the IEA itself)
– Communication and Public Relations
The incoming President may also appoint additional ad hoc members for specific functions.
The current officers would like to thank the other members of the IEA executive for their committed and highly productive work over the last three years. The IEA Triennial Report will be published at the time of the Council meeting so if you are interested in learning about the work that has been done in more detail, you will hear more about where to find the Report in the next NewsBriefs.
SPOTLIGHT ON IEA TECHNICAL COMMITTEES (TC)
After featuring the Ergonomics and Human Factors for Sustainability Technical Committee in our previous issue, in this edition we will be featuring the Healthcare Ergonomics TC. The Healthcare Ergonomics TC was established to create a global platform and network for HFE professionals and experts in healthcare to disseminate knowledge, methods and expertise from multiple disciplines to jointly contribute to safe, humane and high quality healthcare systems.
Importance of the Healthcare Ergonomics TC
Healthcare systems are ever evolving due to technological and societal advances making it a crucial domain for HFE specialists to help mediate the changing needs of healthcare patients and workers. The healthcare space is one of the many domains that HFE professionals operate within to bring about systems-based approaches, methods and solutions to understand and improve the state of healthcare systems around the world and to raise awareness on how to apply HFE to healthcare for patient safety and healthcare worker well-being and performance. Through the application of HFE concepts and principles, the HFE discipline has been contributing significantly to the improvement of healthcare systems through improved interaction and dialogue within multiple disciplines, including medicine, engineering, psychology, architecture, sociology and management sciences. The work done by HFE professionals in healthcare continues to reinforce the need to use a systems-based framework and to integrate multi-disciplinary perspectives to manage existing and emerging issues within the healthcare space.
The formation of the Healthcare Ergonomics TC was based on the need to advance healthcare through HFE. The objectives that were set out for the Healthcare Ergonomics TC were as follows:
- Actively contribute to the dialogue and interaction between human factors and ergonomics (HFE) specialists and other disciplines working for and within healthcare (medicine and related disciplines, engineering, psychology, architecture, sociology and management sciences)
- Collaborate with HFE specialists from other domains and integrate knowledge and practice within the healthcare ergonomics knowledge domain
- Contribute to IEA congresses, Healthcare Ergonomics and Patient Safety (HEPS) conferences and other relevant conferences with special sessions, symposia, papers and group meetings on healthcare ergonomics
- Coordinate the HEPS Conference Steering Committee and support the organizers of the event
- Collect, review and share “best practices” and “best experiences” for improving HFE in healthcare
The Healthcare Ergonomics TC has the following topics of interest:
- Healthcare information technology
- Usability of equipment and devices
- Decision-making, leadership and management of patient safety
- Non-technical skills: teamwork, communication, situational awareness
- Handover and medical reconciliation
- Patient safety in specific clinical settings (eg. ER, OR)
- Optimizing work for staff (eg. Surgeons)
- Training and simulations
- Patient journey design
- Occupational ergonomics, worker fatigue and patient safety
- Patient/citizen participation and education
- Patient safety reporting and assessment
- Resilience and high reliability in healthcare systems
- Healthcare organization and management, and impact on work conditions, staff wellbeing and patient safety
- Patient-doctor communication and (shared) decision making
- Sociotechnical system approach
- Human factors engineering and design for healthcare
- Research and design methods for healthcare
Overview of Healthcare Ergonomics TC Activities
In line with its objectives, some of the activities that the Ergonomics and Human Factors in Sustainability TC has completed include the following:
- Organising and holding conferences including:
o The Healthcare Systems Ergonomics and Patient Safety (HEPS) conference, which runs every three years.
o The call for bids to host HEPS2025 is now open. If you would like to host the next conference, please contact Melissa Baysari: melissa.baysari@sydney.edu.au
o For more information about the previous HEPS conference (HEPS2022): https://www.heps2022.com
- Collaboration with the IEA2024 Science, Technology and Practice Committee to ensure that human factors and ergonomics in healthcare is comprehensively represented in IEA Congresses, Webinars and other events.
- Creating opportunities for publications including:
o Journal special issue: Health and Social Care Ergonomics: Patient Safety in Practice (2017)
o Ergonomic Checkpoints in Health Care Work (2017)
o Macroergonomics of Patient Work: Engaging Patients in Improving Sociotechnical Context of Their Work (2021)
o Journal special supplement: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare (2021)
Ergonomics and Human Factors in Healthcare TC membership
If you are interested in learning more and contributing to the Healthcare Ergonomics TC, please access the TC web page here: https://iea.cc/member/healthcare-ergonomics/. Individuals that would like to join the TC can contact Melissa Baysari: melissa.baysari@sydney.edu.au. The TC has a particularly active group of early career professionals.