Safe surgery, the human factors approach

Studies estimate that a degree of error occurs in 5–15% of all hospital admissions, with 45% of errors occurring in the operating theatre. Staffing limitations, high turnover rates, site and side-specific surgical procedures, make operating theatres a high-risk environment. Valuable lessons may be learned from the aviation experience with error management. With over 70% of air-crashes occurring due to human rather than technical error, the Human Factors Approach to error recognises the potential for errors occurring due to human limitations, such as stress and fatigue. It encourages error reporting in a non-punitive environment, where it is seen as a valuable source of information, facilitating education and future error prevention. Errors in healthcare and surgery however, have been traditionally associated with secrecy and embarrassment, often reaching an unsatisfactory endpoint with no resultant education. Application of the Human Factors Approach to error management in healthcare, can only serve to improve safety standards in our hospitals and satisfy ever-increasing public expectations.