I know it sounds absolutely mad, and don’t worry, they weren’t shouting “push push” at mothers giving birth, but back in the mid-1990’s, they did help save countless babies at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).
The neonatal intensive care unit was struggling with chaotic baby handovers from the operating theatre, which was resulting in a high mortality rate in surgery for congenital heart disease.
The Trip to Maranello
One evening, two doctors, Martin Elliott and Allan Goldman, happened to watch Formula 1 on television after a long and exhausting surgery, and they realised something. How could Formula 1 Pit Crews lift the car, change tyres and refuel, then send it back out in 6 seconds with no room for error, excellent execution and flawless communication? Then why couldn’t medical teams do the same for fragile newborns? Phone calls were made, and the GOSH Doctors were on their way to Maranello, Italy, to visit the Ferrari pit crew.
Observations were made on both sides: The GOSH Doctors observed the Ferrari pit crew, and the Pit Crew reviewed handover footage that the Doctors had videotaped. The verdict of these observations? The GOSH Doctors ended up with a new 12-page handover protocol and a shortened version covering the four main stages. A copy of the protocol was printed and laminated, then placed by the bedside.
The doctors also found that videotaping the process from different angles and multiple rehearsals of the handover ensured that everyone knew their responsibilities down to the minutest details. Ferrari didn’t tell them what to change or how to do it; they just opened the door to possibilities that could be adapted to fit the situation.
Racing mechanics are becoming such unlikely teachers to medical professionals and, in turn, saving thousands of babies’ lives. Who knew a Formula 1 race could be so beneficial to medicine?
Williams Gets Involved
Ferrari was not the only one to take on the challenge. Williams also decided to have a go at this and partnered with the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. They applied pit stop techniques to neonatal resuscitation protocols. The hospital mapped out standardised floor plans for delivery theatres, copying Williams’ floor layouts used at racetracks. Williams relied on 20 people working in perfect unison to change four tyres at a time whilst operating in time-critical, highly pressured environments, just as the doctors did in neonatal resuscitation.
Additionally, they colour-coded trolleys, applied radio checks before procedures, and introduced hand signals to replace chaotic verbal communication during critical moments.
It wasn’t to make the process faster; it was to adopt a safer approach to medical care.
You can also check out the study for more information on how Ferrari helped GOSH Doctors here: https://gwern.net/doc/technology/2008-sower.pdf