The overarching aim of my research is to improve patient safety and the quality of healthcare services. Specifically, I am interested in systems safety; safety from an organisational and process point of view. Healthcare systems are complex entities and "The variable size, scope, and membership of systems make them difficult to analyze and under­stand." (Kohn, Corrigan, & Donaldson, 2000, p. 52) Thus, improving safety and quality in healthcare can be very challenging. My research is focused on improving system safety based on an in-depth understanding of the interactions between humans and technology in the workspace using a human factors approach.

Highlights of my research work include:

Safety in care homes: systems analysis of the medication system, developed a new method to analyse medication errors, error analysis.

Methodological development:

Prospective Hazard Analysis - developed a toolkit of methods suitable for use in healthcare. Application of methods in surgical theatre.

Cognitive Work Analysis - application of methodology in care homes and in-patient diabetes management.

Non-medical prescribing: role of the non-medical prescribing lead, barriers and facilitators to the adoption of non-medical prescribing

Evaluation of novel training programmes

Current research projects include:

A meta-narrative of resilience.

On-going research interests in:

1. Methodological development; methods to represent complex information, error analysis and strategy development, including among others, Cognitive Work Analysis.

2. Organisational resilience; how to create resilient healthcare organisations and processes.

3. Education; teaching and training in patient safety and quality in healthcare.

Prospective PhD candidates (self-funded) are welcomed to email Dr. Rosemary Lim directly with an initial research proposal for further discussion.

Poonthananiwatkul, B., Howard, R. L., Williamson, E. M. and Lim, R. H. (2016) Why cancer patients choose in-patient complementary therapy in palliative care: a qualitative study at Arokhayasala Hospice in Thailand. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 8 (3). pp. 260-265. ISSN 1876-3820 doi: 10.1016/j.eujim.2016.02.002 Lim, R., Anderson, J. E. and Buckle, P. W. (2016) Work Domain Analysis for understanding medication safety in care homes in England: an exploratory study. Ergonomics, 59 (1). pp. 15-26. ISSN 0014-0139 doi: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1057542 Poonthananiwatkul, B., Lim, R., Howard, R., Pibanpaknitee, P. and Williamson, E. (2015) Traditional medicine use by cancer patients in Thailand. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 168. pp. 100-107. ISSN 0378-8741 doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.03.057 Poonthananiwatkul, B., Howard, R. L., Williamson, E. M. and Lim, R. H. M. (2015) Cancer patients taking herbal medicines: a review of clinical purposes, associated factors, and perceptions of benefit or harm. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 175. pp. 58-66. ISSN 0378-8741 doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.08.052