Most of us have had to function with less sleep than we wanted. When at home, we can usually find ways to function and get things done. If we need to put some things off, or take a nap, we have some options. But what about at work? In a recent article Dr. Michael Breus … Read more
Aviation is challenging and rewarding and it is also fatiguing. There are so many ways that flying can be fatiguing that we have to define what aspect we are referring to. There are Part 117 definitions, due to lack of sleep or over exertion. There are physiological impacts such as lower oxygen levels or vibration. … Read more
Our Job and our Health as Crewmembers Captain Paul Westfield Researching the effects of diurnal and circadian disruption on the human hormonal system raises some important questions for the aviation community. The effect is serious and needs to be understood if we are going to try to mitigate the negative impact on our lives. This … Read more
Huge strides have been made in improving safety through risk mitigation/management by implementing Human Factors techniques. Most of this improvement is through operational TEM strategies for future mitigation and real-time management. Ultimately, a tool is needed that conforms to a Continuous Improvement (C I) model that will drive safety. Continuous Improvement requires the ability to … Read more
Since the Air Commerce Act of 1926 established standards, aviation safety and performance has been improving across the industry. Those early aircraft were very different from the ones we fly today. As technology was developed, the same historical philosophy and procedural concepts were applied to very different aircraft, and a more complex and challenging air … Read more
Researching the effects of diurnal and circadian disruption on the human hormonal system raises some important questions for the aviation community. The effect is serious and needs to be understood if we are going to try to mitigate the negative impact on our lives. This piece is research based with references throughout. However, I have also … Read more
As a former USAF fighter pilot and career airline captain my training was always focused on error avoidance and error management. In the aviation world, errors can kill us and others. The concepts of Human Factors and Error Management for aviation, transfer directly to the medical community. While the aviation community has been addressing the … Read more
‘ I’m a doctor”, you tell yourself, “I have earned the right to just do what I am trained to do. And on top of that, many of my patients don’t do what they are told and then blame me when they don’t see the recovery that they should! Someone should be leading them! They … Read more
Many may recognize part of that phrase as being credited to Austrian Psychologist Viktor.E. Frankl. While it turns out that he may never have said it, the truth in that first sentence is irrefutable. Within that space there is unlimited opportunity for positive changes in our lives. Operational Human Factors Integration in healthcare embodies the … Read more
Active Medical Monitor (AMM)© The role of the AMM is to maintain a watch for error producing behaviors. This is a person who has a good situational awareness and familiarity with all the roles and responsibilities in the room. They of course will have their own duties; so how do we safely add more? In … Read more