Formula 1 teams have helped doctors in NICUs work more efficiently in emergency situations by implementing techniques used during a pit stop.
In 2001, Professor Martin Elliott and Dr. Allan Goldman from England’s Great Ormond Street Hospital were facing a problem — they were struggling with making a smooth transition of babies in emergency situations from the operating room to the intensive care unit. With tubes, wires, machines, and life-support systems all needing to move in sync, many babies were not surviving the transfer due to mistakes.
One day, the two doctors happened to watch a F1 (Formula 1) race and were impressed with the pit crew’s ability to effortlessly lift the car, change its tires, refuel it (which is no longer part of an F1 pit stop), and send the car back onto the track in less than six seconds. They decided to call the Ferrari F1 team, who then invited the doctors to the home of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy.
The members of the pit crew watched videos of the hospital transfers and noticed that their process was uncoordinated, lacked clear leadership, and was too noisy. So, they sat the doctors down and taught them where to
