Surgeons don't get to play God as much anymore. Checklists dominate and are the hallmark of a good institution. One of the biggest risks in hospitals are central lines and infection. So cleaning protocols / enforcement and as much automation as possible are ways forward. The ACA imposes financial penalties on hospitals if they don't reduce infection rates and readmission rates. You can only do that if you improve quality. A hotshot with an ego is bad for business.
After having worked with some A&Ps (aircraft mechanics) I was shocked that surgeons didn't operate with checklists. Doesn't matter how skilled you are, mistakes happen, especially when you are in a hurry. Aircraft mechanics also typically 'shadow' their toolboxes, which is where every drawer has individual cutouts for each tool to make it easy to verify that all tools are back in their place. And apparently instruments being left in a patient isn't that uncommon:
"According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it is anywhere between 1 in 100 to 1 in 5000.[1] However a study done in 2008 reported to the Annals of Surgery that mistakes in tool and sponge counts happened in 12.5% of surgeries.[8]"
Why are aircraft mechanics taking better precautions against this type of low hanging fruit than surgeons, aside from ego?
> Why are aircraft mechanics taking better precautions against this type of low hanging fruit than surgeons, aside from ego?
Nothing new under the sun. A guy who found that doctors should wash hands between autopsies and deliveries was ostracized by colleagues and died in asylum. [1]
