Understand the Background

• I conducted a literature review to understand why patient safety errors occur, which errors occur most commonly, and what tools exist to tackle them.

• I learned the causes of safety errors occurring in clinics and bucketed them into four categories of an affinity diagram.

• My research revealed there are a lot of safety tools available to prevent safety errors, but they aren’t utilized by providers. I conducted primary research to uncover the behavioral causes that prevented HCPs from employing these tools.

Conduct Primary Research

• I conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) to understand why providers aren’t using tools available to them. I conducted six IDIs with providers among five clinics. I used IDIs to uncover cause of provider behavior.

• I created a research plan based in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), a behavioral change theory that would help providers adopt a new behavior.

• I developed three research stimuli to conduct interviews: a discussion guide and two sample patient safety tools.

• I recruited subjects by leveraging the existing BLC network and researching nearby clinics in the Boston area.

🧠 Synthesis

Analyze the Data

I used qualitative coding to translate findings into actionable insights. Analysis revealed two overarching issues preventing providers from using existing tools:

#1 Lack of Time - HCPs want to improve patient safety, but lack time during their workday to learn about and/or implement new safety protocols

#2 Lack of Safety Culture - Most offices lack adequate patient safety culture that results in frequent medical error