Why are checklists used in every cockpit but not in every ICU? Both are largely commercial enterprises, so why is it so much safer in a plane than in a hospital? The answer can be found in their different error cultures. First, the hierarchical structure in hospitals is not fertile ground for checklists, which, as mentioned, might require a female nurse to remind a male surgeon to wash his hands. Second, the consequences affect both parties equally in aviation: If passengers die in a crash, pilots die as well, whereas if patients die, doctors’ lives are not endangered. Third, when a plane
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