Abstract

Healthcare working environments and procedures can be improved using human factors methods and tools, but because healthcare is a complex system, it is difficult to implement and evaluate modifications in this environment. If we could test the effects of these modifications in a controlled environment, it would be easier to then implement them on a larger scale in healthcare. The distinct characteristics of paramedic services make them a unique healthcare working environment, which is ideal for implementing and testing such modifications. Paramedic services can, thus, become a good test bed for modifications in a healthcare environment. This chapter will discuss the unique characteristics of paramedic services, describe some of the quality improvement work that was done in paramedic services, and examine what it takes for the paramedic services to lead human factors research and implementation.