Why Do Beliefs, Misunderstandings, and Lack of Attention Occur? - Considering Patient Safety from the Viewpoint of the Characteristics of Human Cognition and Behavior

In the medical setting, human error refers to “originally expected treatment opportunities impaired by the cognition, judgment, and behavior of medical personnel, patients, and their family members.” This paper tried to understand the reason for human error from the standpoint of the information processing that is the basis of our behavior. First, focusing on the characteristics of attention and thinking habits（cognitive bias）, we examine the mechanism by which beliefs, misunderstandings, and lack of attention occur. Next, we address communication issues that are important for working as a team on the issue of human error. We hope this paper will provide an opportunity to understand the characteristics of one’s own cognition and behavior and to reconsider the events experienced in the practice field on a daily basis from the perspective of human information processing.