Human factors in forensic toxicology: an exploratory international survey

Human factors, including cognitive biases and contextual effects are well-documented automatic processes that can influence forensic toxicology decisions. Research into aspects of human factors such as familiarity with concepts, use of bias-minimising procedures and the presence of laboratory policies is limited in forensic toxicology. Here, the results of an exploratory survey conducted at a forensic toxicology conference held in 2025reported. A group of participants attending the 62nd conference of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), which took place in Auckland, New Zealand from 23-27 November 2025, completed an online survey examining familiarity, training and use of bias-minimising procedures and policies. Fifty-one participants from 43 different countries and with a range of 1-50 years of experience volunteered. The results show that over three-quarters of respondents were familiar with human factors/cognitive bias, but that just over half of the respondents had received training on this topic, indicating that more training is needed. Laboratory policies on cognitive bias/human factors are also still relatively rare, with only a third of respondents stating their workplace had one. Finally, although bias-minimising procedures suitable for forensic toxicology were reportedly only being used by around one-third of participants' laboratories, a range of procedures were suggested by the participants. These need to be considered by laboratories and incorporated into quality systems and profession-specific guidance.