Methods:

Drawing on engineering, patient safety and social science disciplines, Ben will use innovative systems-driven inclusive design methods to examine the human and system factors involved in the use of injectable end-of-life medications; where and how this complex adaptive system can be improved will be investigated through three sequential stages.

Stage 1. Mixed-methods analysis of reported patient safety incidents occurring in England and Wales using the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) database.

Stage 2. Longitudinal patient-centred case studies exploring the views, experiences and interactions of patients prescribed medications, their family caregivers and clinicians.

Stage 3. Stakeholder focus groups with patients, family caregivers and healthcare teams exploring key issues, generating further knowledge of systems for using medications and how these can be improved.

Outputs: Findings will be disseminated via scientific publications, conferences and targeted online briefings and videos for researcher, clinician and policymaker communities.

Professor Andrew Carson-Stevens, Patient Safety Research Group (PISA Group), Division of Population Medicine, Cardiff University;

Professor Kristian Pollock, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queen’s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham;

Dr Sarah Yardley, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London;

Professor John Clarkson, Cambridge Engineering Design Centre, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.