You Have Control: aviation communication application for safety-critical times in surgery

Area of Science:

• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Communication
• Aviation Safety

Background:

• High-risk organizations (HROs) like aviation utilize formal communication training for safety-critical events.
• Healthcare lacks widespread, mandatory communication training, despite sharing the 'human element' that increases harm risk.
• Surgical errors are a leading cause of preventable patient harm, with ineffective communication cited as a major factor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review communication strategies from high-risk industries, specifically aviation.
• To explore the applicability of these strategies in healthcare settings to reduce patient harm.
• To identify specific communication techniques that can enhance safety during critical surgical moments.

Main Methods:

• Review of established communication protocols in aviation (e.g., sterile cockpit, unambiguous terminology, callsigns, readback, mental models, mini-brief).
• Analysis of the 'human element' common to both aviation and healthcare.
• Examination of the incidence and causes of never events and serious incidents in the UK National Health Service (NHS).

Main Results:

• Ineffective communication is the most common behavioral factor contributing to never events (46%).
• Aviation employs structured communication techniques to manage risk in safety-critical situations.
• These aviation-derived techniques have potential to mitigate harm in healthcare.

Conclusions:

• Implementing aviation-inspired communication strategies in healthcare can significantly reduce patient harm.
• Techniques like 'sterile cockpit', unambiguous terminology, and readbacks are crucial for safety-critical moments.
• Formalized communication training is essential for improving patient safety in operating theatres.