Aviation and nuclear power have built safety into every level of their systems, with formal safety management processes that anticipate and prevent harm. Healthcare, by contrast, still relies heavily on individual vigilance and autonomy, leaving patients and staff vulnerable. At the same time, AI and automation offer new ways to address long-standing challenges in healthcare — from improving safety and quality to expanding access for patients. This session highlights lessons from safety-critical industries and shows how human factors and human-centred AI can help close the gap. 

Summary:  
 
This webinar explored how principles from aviation and nuclear energy can be applied to healthcare delivery, and how AI, if designed and implemented with human factors, can help tackle some of healthcare’s hardest problems. Examples included how AI can support early detection of risk, reduce fatigue-related errors, and improve access to care for patients who otherwise face delays or barriers. 

Objectives: 
 
Contrast safety management approaches in aviation, nuclear, and healthcare. 

• Show how the absence of systemic safety management contributes to preventable harm in healthcare. 

• Explain how human factors can make AI tools safe, usable, and trustworthy for staff and patients. 

• Demonstrate how AI can improve not only quality and safety, but also access to care. 

Outcomes: 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

• Recognize what healthcare can learn from other safety-critical industries. 

• Understand the role of human factors in safely adopting AI in care settings. 

• Identify how AI can address frontline challenges such as fatigue, monitoring, and decision support. 

• Appreciate the potential of AI to expand access to safe, timely, and reliable care.