Tuesday 10 March 2026 | 15:15-16:15
Stream: People
Session format: Workshop

This session highlights two innovative approaches that put people at the centre of safer healthcare. The first explores Empathy in Action, an NHS Lothian programme that uses simulation and AI-powered rehearsal to help staff master “humane factors” such as civility, kindness, and constructive challenge. By creating psychologically safe spaces for practice, staff build confidence to address unprofessional behaviours and strengthen workplace culture, directly impacting wellbeing and patient safety. The second case study from Norway presents the Patient-led Surgical Safety Checklist (PASC), a co-designed tool developed with patients and clinicians to empower surgical patients to prepare for care, ask questions, and engage more actively with providers. Embedded into both paper and electronic records, the checklist is being scaled across multiple hospitals and specialties, with evidence of improved confidence, communication, and safety outcomes. Together, these examples demonstrate how co-production, empathy, and partnership can transform safety from both the staff and patient perspective, offering practical insights transferable across healthcare systems.

Part 1 - Empathy in action: mastering "Humane Factors" at work using simulation

Join us for "Empathy in Action" a workshop where cutting-edge simulation and educational design meets the crucial skills of workplace kindness and staff support. Experience first-hand the impact of incivility through our scenarios designed to engage your emotions and challenge your responses. Consider with us the art of using the right words at the right time with our AI-powered skills development sessions. Practice your newly acquired skills in a safe, simulated environment, enabling you to rehearse and perfect your interactions before putting them to the test.

We plan to share our NHS Lothian "civility" learning journey with you and guarantee you will leave this workshop not just informed but transformed!

Simon Edgar NHS Lothian; Scotland

Part 2 - From insight to impact: co-producing, embedding, scaling and evaluating effects of a patient led Surgical Safety Checklist into paper and Electronic Health Records

How can patients be activated as partners in their own safety during surgical care? This session explores how co-produced patient safety interventions - developed collaboratively with patients and embedded into clinical pathways - can support patients in preparing for care, identifying concerns, and engaging more confidently with providers. Using a surgical patient safety checklist (PASC) as a practical example, we demonstrate the feasibility of implementing this checklist, and how such tools prompt new forms of patient involvement, may reduce risk, and enhance communication.

The session offers a generalisable approach to co-producing interventions that extend beyond design into real-world use. While the checklist is specific to surgical care, the principles of collaborative development, clinical integration, and patient activation apply across specialties.

Attendees will gain insight into how thoughtfully designed interventions can empower patients in everyday care, and how health systems can adopt co-production as a method for building safer, more responsive services.

Hilde Valen Waehle Haukeland University Hospital and University of Bergen; Norway
Linda Haugland Regional Patient and User Committee in the Western Norway Regional Health Authority; Norway
Arvid Steinar Haugen Haukeland University Hospital and University of Bergen; Norway
Kristin Harris Haukeland University Hospital and University of Bergen; Norway