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Frank Filipetto, DO, CPPS, CPHFH, FACOFP, one of the leading voices for changing how health care is delivered, has become one of the first in the world to earn the Certified Professional in Human Factors in Health Care credential.

Filipetto, an Everett Endowed Distinguished Professor at The University of North Texas Health Science Center of Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, earned the credential from the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety by passing a rigorous, evidence-based examination that tests candidates on their competency in human factors science and application.

“Earning this credential attests to Dr. Filipetto’s professional competency in human factors science and application,” said Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, CPHFH, president of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety. “This achievement demonstrates his expertise in this critical discipline and positions him among those committed to and leading human factors work.”

Filipetto is a faculty member in TCOM’s Patient Safety Course, which includes Certified Professional in Patient Safety™, while also addressing the milestones related to the Systems-Based Practice Core Competency: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. He was the dean of TCOM in 2020 when the course was first implemented. Since then, more than 1,100 TCOM students have passed the certification exam and earned the CPPS credential.

“We need to do better and understand how human factors impact health care delivery,” said Filipetto. “There are so many human factors that we need to look at that affect the delivery of health care—stress, work overload, interruptions, poor sleep, macro ergonomics, and reliance on memory and vigilance. These get in the way of truly identifying and preventing the root causes of error. Only when we understand and create a culture where we understand how human factors can impact quality and safety can we effectively and justly create systems to improve the delivery of safe and effective health care.”

While statistics suggest that medical error may be the third leading cause of death in the United States, both Certified Professionals in Patient Safety and Certified Professionals in Human Factors in Health Care demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to patients and families to create systems that will prevent harm while acknowledging the fact that to err is human.

The Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety was established by, but operates as a separate entity from, the National Patient Safety Foundation. Successful completion of the Certified Professional in Human Factors in Health Care exam attests to a candidates’ knowledge of essential human factors competencies, upon which time the board confers the CPHFH credential.

Those earning the CPHFH designation represent a group of committed professionals from across health care who are determined to advance the human factors field and make the health care system safer for all.

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