In my former airline's simulator briefing rooms (where we prepared to conduct mock drills), we kept paper Quick Reference Checklists available for pilots to reference before mock emergency drills. We used the checklists as our briefing tools for each mock drill we planned to conduct during the simulator session. What's weird is the checklists were "chained" to the table. (Actually, they were secured to the table with a steel cable.) Why? Because experienced commercial pilots, some...

In a study of general dentists (Note 1), 45% to 64.9% reported they did not feel sufficiently competent to deal with medical emergency situations such as: Asthmatic shock (64.9%) Angina pectoris (62.7%) Cardiac arrest (57.0%) Hypoglycaemic/hyperglycaemic episodes (56.6%) Epileptic episode (55.2%) High blood pressure (54.2%) Breathing obstruction (49.8%) Vasovagal syncope (45.6%) Anaphylactic shock (45.0%) These dentists might feel differently if they had a proven chair-side cognitive aid...

During a day long emergency preparation workshop, two nationally known experts, assisted by skilled paramedics, set up three skills stations where mock drills were conducted to test how well 20 dentists could handle Anaphylaxis, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and Foreign Body Obstruction. Why those three? If those emergencies are bungled, the patient will most likely die within 3 minutes. 3 minutes to live. All 20 dentists failed all three skills tests. All. 20. Failed. If the simulated...