'Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Surgeon speaking': Exploring the Human Factor in Aviation and Surgery

This book explores the parallels between the aircraft flight deck and the surgical operating theatre, examining, through past aviation accidents and incidents, whether medicine and surgery could benefit from the lessons learnt in aviation.

It looks at modern day pilot training, particularly in the area of 'Human Factors' or the science of 'why we do what we do' i.e. how do humans perform under stress in terms of decision making, teamwork, leadership, situational awareness and communication?

The author is uniquely placed in these fields currently in his role as an International Airline Pilot, with some 30 years of Aviation experience, the last 18 years as a Training Captain, but also, prior to his career in Aviation, when he completed his General Nursing training at the Royal North Hospital in Sydney. He has worked extensively in the operating theatre enabling him to see potential benefits for surgical practice from Human Factors training.

The book firstly highlights the similarities shared by flight deck and the operating theatre in terms of chain of command, use of technology and the pressures faced by both professional spheres.

It then looks at various aspects of human behaviour, using aircraft accidents and incidents to highlight those behaviours, while exploring the potential relevance to surgical and medical practice.