What Can We Learn from the Aviation Industry?

The healthcare industry could learn several valuable lessons from the aviation industry, particularly regarding safety and incident management. Despite its high-risk environment, the aviation industry has been able to achieve significant success in safety management. For example, according to the 2023 edition of “A Statistical Analysis of Commercial Aviation Accidents”, there were no reports of fatal accidents, despite a 20% increase in air traffic compared to 2022, highlighting the vital role that aviation’s use of safety management technology plays in preventing harm.

In contrast, the healthcare industry experiences an estimated 200,000 preventable medical deaths every year. This stark contrast shows that there is much to be done in terms of reducing harm within healthcare, and much can be gained from analyzing aviation’s best practices.

Furthermore, the aviation industry’s success in reducing harm and risk can be highly attributed to their innovations in technology usage, such as an incident reporting software. Incident reporting software is a critical tool used across various industries, particularly in both aviation and healthcare.

These software systems streamline the process of documenting and analyzing safety-related events, such as accidents, near-misses, or operational errors. In aviation, incident reporting allows flight crews and ground personnel to quickly report safety events and track trends over time, leading to continuous improvement in safety protocols. This data-driven approach helps aviation companies proactively address potential hazards, reducing the likelihood of serious or harmful incidents.

An example of one of the most valuable strategies in the aviation sector is the implementation of safety checklists, which have been proven to be effective in minimizing errors and improving outcomes. In aviation, pilots use checklists to ensure that critical steps are followed before and during flights, reducing the likelihood of human error.

When it is time to prepare for a flight, pilots use a multi-step checklist to confirm that the flight course, weather patterns, radio set-up, etc. have all been considered to ensure the safest flight possible. This approach can be adapted to other industries, like healthcare, by standardizing tasks and ensuring that important policies are consistently followed. For example, checklists can be used to enhance patient safety by ensuring key procedures like medication or vaccine administration are properly followed, leading to better, and safer, outcomes.

The use of checklists has the potential to save lives in healthcare the same way it does for aviation because it ensures that simple standards are applied correctly and consistently. Studies have demonstrated that the introduction of checklists in the healthcare setting can dramatically reduce preventable incidents, prevent complications, and improve communication and collaboration between team members. By emphasizing a standardized approach to safety, these strategies used in aviation can ensure patient safety in healthcare settings as well.

Ready to learn more? Discover the detailed safety strategies used in aviation that your healthcare organization can implement as well. Download our whitepaper by completing the form at the top of the page to get your copy.