Niall Downey, a cardio-thoracic surgeon who retrained as a commercial airline pilot uses his expertise in healthcare and aviation to explore the critical issue of managing human error. With examples from business, politics, sport, technology, finance, education and other fields, Downey makes a powerful case that by following some clear guidelines, any organization can greatly reduce the incidence and impact of making serious mistakes.
While acknowledging that in our fast-paced world, getting things wrong is impossible to avoid, Downey offers a strategy based on current best practice that can make a massive difference. He concludes with an aviation-style Safety Management System that can be hugely beneficial in preventing avoidable catastrophes from occurring.
An acknowledged expert in error management, Niall advises governments, healthcare organizations and major corporations on how to develop a systemic approach to controlling for human imperfection. Arguing that prevention is far preferable to denying responsibility after the fact, he gave an influential TEDx talk in 2016 outlining how healthcare could use aviation's experience to reduce tragic outcomes and improve patient safety.
