Healthcare and Aerospace systems are complex sociotechnical systems involving skilled human operators who deal with emergent and complex situations daily. The consequences of errors are high, and the expectations are to deliver to high standards of care and safety.

There is little tolerance for failure in the aerospace sector as aviation accidents can be catastrophic with high mortality and capture instant public attention. The cumulative cost of treatment injuries is phenomenal but often not noticed as this cause individual harm unlike aviation accidents. However, insurances are driving change in healthcare, to manage these cumulative and escalating costs of managing healthcare, leading to a systems approach developing in the healthcare industry.

Aerospace sector has adopted and internalised human factors principles and practices to achieve and maintain flight safety. Aviation industry traditionally is known to have a strong safety culture and uses systems thinking approach to problem solving.

Healthcare sector is already learning from the Aerospace Sector.

This talk will explore how Healthcare Human Factors can leverage of Aerospace Human Factors principles and practices and showcase some examples of successful lessons that have been adopted to improve patient safety. Issues such as shift work and fatigue risk management, design of work processes, medication management, physical and cognitive ergonomics, checklists, training, teamwork, and a safety culture are all relevant in safe delivery of healthcare. Work is ongoing in many of these areas and healthcare sector has made some meaningful gains by adapting lessons learnt from the aerospace sector.