An Analysis of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services and Human Error Contributors to Accidents

<p>Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) is a growing industry that provides a vital service to transport critically ill or injured patients to healthcare facilities. This growth has come with an increase in rates of HEMS crashes and fatalities. Certain types of events commonly precede HEMS accidents such as continued flight into deteriorating weather conditions, night, and self-induced pressure, to name a few. Given that these causes and contributing factors can be seen time and again within HEMS accidents, the need arises for additional analysis of the human factors that play a role in accidents. This study addresses this need through an examination of human error and contributing factors in HEMS accidents. Data was collected through the review of NTSB accident reports of HEMS accidents. Instances of human error were identified and coded using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). This study is a retrospective analysis of HEMS accidents. Analysis of types of errors committed revealed that skill-based errors were most common; however, violations were the only error type significantly associated with fatality. Findings were consistent with the literature in that flight into IMC and nighttime operations are the greatest threats to HEMS operations. Results also indicated similar accident frequencies across trip legs despite varying levels of workload. Additionally, investigation of accidents that happened during an interfacility transfer yielded disproportionate rates of fatality compared to non-transfer flights. These findings provide the basis for data driven interventions that will inform risk mitigation strategies and future safety management practices within HEMS.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy in Human Factors

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Lawton, Paige

• Helicopter
• Medical
• Air Ambulance
• Human Error
• Human Factors
• Human Factors Psychology
• Other Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.erau.edu/edt/915

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.erau.edu:edt-1862