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It's actually common for retired pilots to teach risk mitigation classes for doctors and nurses. Something as simple as a small checklist can make a huge differ

It's actually common for retired pilots to teach risk mitigation classes for doctors and nurses. Something as simple as a small checklist can make a huge difference.

retbull 10y ago
:D I have a friend who does this. Great guy loves procedures.
click170 10y ago
BBC Horizon actually did a show on the importance of checklists and how they save lives in medical settings, and because of that I'm trying to start using checklists at work as well when practicable. The episode is called How To Avoid Mistakes In Surgery for those interested. Available at torrent sites near you!
alanh 10y ago
These can help in software development, too. Everyone is so obsessed with speed, but often the thinking is short-term. Slow down a little bit and use a checklist when deploying. Use a checklist when reviewing code. Iterate so you aren’t wasting time or limiting your thinking.
- gnaritas 10y ago
  Developers have something superior to a checklist much of the time, automation. Deployment should be fully automated, no checklist necessary. But yes on non-automatable things like code review, a checklist is certainly a plus.
  - retbull 10y ago
    Also unit tests provide a type of checklist.
  - cmdkeen 10y ago
    Not all parts of a deployment can be automated in every case. I've helped craft a checklist we use on our releases based on lessons learned over several years, an awful lot of it is about communication to end users / other teams. Especially if the release is one that involves downtime it's important to have consistent practices and clarity about who is going communicate what and when. Checklists are a good way to capture the "what could have gone better" outputs of retrospectives.
    - gnaritas 10y ago
      Fair points about client communication.
fernly 10y ago
Checklists applied rigorously have been _demonstrated_ to make a huge difference, see The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande [1] [1] http://smile.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000/ http://smile.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right...
- et2o 10y ago
  Whoops, it turns out this idea maybe isn't as real as the pop-science makes it seem: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1308261 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1308261
  - ejlo 10y ago
    Wow, 60 lives were saved and 40 persons less had surgical complications! Just in 3 month in Ontario. Of course, there was not enough data yet to conclude any improvement within the 95% confidence interval, but still, it does hint at a great reduction in serious mistakes.
  - brownbat 10y ago
    If it's any consolation, all the studies examined in that meta-analysis show improvements in outcomes, they just vary on how much. When they say "The effect of mandatory checklist implementation is unclear" they really mean that the magnitude of the effect is still unclear. Also, the metaanalysis describes which studies have gotten the same profound results: "Only studies including team training or a more comprehensive safety system that includes multiple checklists have shown effectiveness similar to that seen in the WHO study." Maybe the benefits are overhyped, but there appear to be reductions in mortality during hospital stays, and the studies suggest ways hospitals can improve results (ie, team training and systems with multiple checklists).
neurotech1 10y ago
Capt. Sullenberger has given interviews and presentations on this very subject. His work on flight safety started 30 years before US Airways Flight 1549 made him famous. I know a few pilot-physicians who treat the NATOPS-style [0] procedures for medicine and surgery as rules to live by. ----------------- NATOPS is a positive approach toward improving combat readiness and achieving a substantial reduction in the aircraft accident rate. Standardization, based on professional knowledge and experience, provides the basis for development of an efficient and sound operational procedure. The standardization program is not planned to stifle individual initiative, but rather to aid the commanding officer in increasing the unit’s combat potential without reducing command prestige or responsibility. -- OPNAV Instruction 3710.7U [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATOPS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATOPS

It's actually common for retired pilots to teach risk mitigation classes for doctors and nurses. Something as simple as a small checklist can make a huge difference.

retbull 10y ago

:D I have a friend who does this. Great guy loves procedures.

click170 10y ago

BBC Horizon actually did a show on the importance of checklists and how they save lives in medical settings, and because of that I'm trying to start using checklists at work as well when practicable. The episode is called How To Avoid Mistakes In Surgery for those interested. Available at torrent sites near you!

alanh 10y ago

These can help in software development, too. Everyone is so obsessed with speed, but often the thinking is short-term. Slow down a little bit and use a checklist when deploying. Use a checklist when reviewing code. Iterate so you aren’t wasting time or limiting your thinking.

gnaritas 10y ago
Developers have something superior to a checklist much of the time, automation. Deployment should be fully automated, no checklist necessary. But yes on non-automatable things like code review, a checklist is certainly a plus.
- retbull 10y ago
  Also unit tests provide a type of checklist.
- cmdkeen 10y ago
  Not all parts of a deployment can be automated in every case. I've helped craft a checklist we use on our releases based on lessons learned over several years, an awful lot of it is about communication to end users / other teams. Especially if the release is one that involves downtime it's important to have consistent practices and clarity about who is going communicate what and when. Checklists are a good way to capture the "what could have gone better" outputs of retrospectives.
  - gnaritas 10y ago
    Fair points about client communication.

fernly 10y ago

Checklists applied rigorously have been _demonstrated_ to make a huge difference, see The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande [1] [1] http://smile.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000/ http://smile.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right...

et2o 10y ago
Whoops, it turns out this idea maybe isn't as real as the pop-science makes it seem: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1308261 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1308261
- ejlo 10y ago
  Wow, 60 lives were saved and 40 persons less had surgical complications! Just in 3 month in Ontario. Of course, there was not enough data yet to conclude any improvement within the 95% confidence interval, but still, it does hint at a great reduction in serious mistakes.
- brownbat 10y ago
  If it's any consolation, all the studies examined in that meta-analysis show improvements in outcomes, they just vary on how much. When they say "The effect of mandatory checklist implementation is unclear" they really mean that the magnitude of the effect is still unclear. Also, the metaanalysis describes which studies have gotten the same profound results: "Only studies including team training or a more comprehensive safety system that includes multiple checklists have shown effectiveness similar to that seen in the WHO study." Maybe the benefits are overhyped, but there appear to be reductions in mortality during hospital stays, and the studies suggest ways hospitals can improve results (ie, team training and systems with multiple checklists).

neurotech1 10y ago

Capt. Sullenberger has given interviews and presentations on this very subject. His work on flight safety started 30 years before US Airways Flight 1549 made him famous. I know a few pilot-physicians who treat the NATOPS-style [0] procedures for medicine and surgery as rules to live by. ----------------- NATOPS is a positive approach toward improving combat readiness and achieving a substantial reduction in the aircraft accident rate. Standardization, based on professional knowledge and experience, provides the basis for development of an efficient and sound operational procedure. The standardization program is not planned to stifle individual initiative, but rather to aid the commanding officer in increasing the unit’s combat potential without reducing command prestige or responsibility. -- OPNAV Instruction 3710.7U [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATOPS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATOPS