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Partha Kar: Applying aviation safety to healthcare—are we missing the fundamental?

BMJ 2019; 364 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l735 (Published 18 February 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;364:l735
  1. Partha Kar, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology
  1. Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
  1. drparthakar{at}gmail.com
    Follow Partha on Twitter: @parthaskar

If we want to improve patient safety the healthcare sector should become more like the aviation industry. This, at least, is a common refrain we hear whenever the issue of patient safety comes up.

It’s certainly not fanciful to think that healthcare organisations should try to learn from a high risk industry with an enviable record in keeping people safe. With just 0.07 deaths per billion passenger miles, flying is currently the safest mode of transport, and trying to reach something equivalent to that level of safety in healthcare certainly isn’t a bad aspiration.

The comparison has even brought some useful insights, …

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