MacroErgonomics Safety and Health Laboratory

Sam Alper

Contact Information

3217 Mechanical Engineering Building
1513 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706-1572

Tel: 608-347-6405
E-mail: sjalper@wisc.edu

About Me

Samuel J. Alper is a 4th year graduate student working with Dr. Ben-Tzion Karsh towards a Ph.D. Sam is interested in sociotechnical systems and safety in the domain of health care. Specifically, his research investigates why individuals violate safety protocols. When the causes of violations have been determined, Sam hopes to better-design systems to reduce the need for violations and, subsequently, improve safety.

Program Affiliations

• Industrial and Systems Engineering

Education

• BS 2003, Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• MSIE 2007, Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fields of Interest

• patient safety
• health systems engineering
• safety
• sociotechnical systems

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Hallock, M. L., Alper, S. J. , and Karsh, B. (2006). A macroergonomic work system analysis of the diagnostic testing process in an outpatient health care facility for process improvement and patient safety. Ergonomics, 49(5-6), 544-566.

Karsh, B., Holden, R., Alper, S. J. , and Or, C.K.L. (2006). A human factors engineering paradigm for patient safety: designing to support the performance of the healthcare professional. Quality and Safety in Health Care. 15 (pp. 59-65).

BOOK CHAPTERS

Karsh, B., and Alper, S . (2004). Work System Analysis: The Key to Understanding Health Systems. Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation , Volume 2 (pp. 337-348) AHRQ Publication Nos. 050021 (1-4). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

CONFERENCE PAPERS

Alper, S. J., and Karsh, B. Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Predict Violations in the Medication Administration Process. In review.

Alper, S. J., Karsh, B., Holden, R. J., Scanlon, M. C., Patel, N., & Kaushal, R. (2006). Protocol violations during medication administration in pediatrics. Paper presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 50th Annual Meeting, San Francisco.

Alper, S., Hallock, M., and Karsh, B. (2005). A macroergonomic analysis of why outpatient diagnostic tests get and stay lost, with implications for patient safety. Eighth International Symposium on Human Factors in Organizational Design and Management, 257 - 252.

Hallock, M., Alper, S., and Karsh, B. (2003). Process improvement in an outpatient clinic: application of sociotechnical systems analysis. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 47th Annual Meeting, 1406 - 1410.

Hallock, M., Alper, S. , and Karsh, B. (2003). A macroergonomic work system approach for process improvement in healthcare: The case of diagnostic testing. International Ergonomics Association Triennial Congress.

WORKING PAPERS

Alper, S. J. and Karsh, B. Violations: A review of the literature.

Alper, S. J. and Karsh, B. Categorizing violations.

Holden, R., Alper, S. J., Or, C. K. L., Rivera, A. J., and Karsh, B. Methods of conducting field research.

Selected Awards, Honors and Societies

Current Research Projects

• Research Assistant, Bar coding technology and patient and employee safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Societies

• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
  • Macroergonomics Technical Group
  • Health Care Technical Group
  • Safety Technical Group
• American Society of Safety Engineers
• Health Systems Engineering Association

Professional Service

• Newsletter Editor for Macroergonomics Technical Group. (Fall 2006 - Present)
• Vice President of the Health Systems Engineering Association. (Fall 2006 - Spring 2007)
• Co-President of the Health Systems Engineering Association. (Fall 2005 - Summer 2006)
• Founding member of the Health Systems Engineering Association