ON-DEMAND: Why Would You(r Hospital) Need a CRM Training Program?

In 1977, two Boeing 747s collided on a runway in the Canary Islands, killing 582 people. It was the largest accident in aviation history, and it led to an industry-wide examination of the cause of aviation accidents. It turned out that up to 80 percent of aviation accidents were caused by human error. This revelation led to the development of Crew Resource Management (CRM), an error-reducing method that has revolutionized air travel safety. CRM is a way of working that optimizes crew performance by reducing the effect of human error. Today, CRM training programs are also being used in a variety of healthcare settings because research shows that human factors are major contributors to adverse events in healthcare. Medical errors, two-thirds of which are preventable, are the eighth leading cause of death in the US each year. CRM typically includes educating team members on issues relevant to safety and human performance limitations.