top of page


That Inconvenient Tag That Forces You To Do The Right Thing
For many people, November is the month of giving thanks. It marks the end of autumn, a season where families gather to feast and appreciate the accumulation of another year—its triumphs, its weariness, and the people who carried us through it. Like Germany’s Erntedankfest, autumn embodies a universal sentiment: gratitude for a bountiful harvest and the labour behind it. Yet November is also the month for another kind of harvest: the annual surge of 11/11 Singles Day sales, Bl

SQ
5 days ago3 min read


Always Take That AI Recommendation with a Pinch of Salt
Not too long ago, Singapore's Health Promotion Board cautioned us to " trust no tongue " when it comes to salt. Excess sodium can raise...

SQ
Aug 154 min read


It Appears That the Focus on Safety Has Been at the Expense of Other Aspects of Quality of Care
This clickbait-ish headline was one of the summary sentences found in the Review of Patient Safety Across the Health and Care Landscape ...

SQ
Jul 244 min read


System Resilience In Mass Casualty Incidents: Operational Challenges
During my time in flight school we were required to have sections of the FAR/AIM (Federal Aviation Regulations & Aeronautical Information...

SQ
May 214 min read


System Resilience In Mass Casualty Incidents: Sustained Adaptability
Dr. Richard Cook was an anesthesiologist as well as a pioneering researcher and thought leader in resilience engineering. He elegantly...

SQ
Apr 284 min read


System Resilience In Mass Casualty Incidents: Graceful Extensibility
Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) are, mercifully, rare. But when they arrive, they don’t knock—they tear the doors off. Whether it’s a...

SQ
Apr 154 min read


Pediatric Patients Are Not Miniature Adults, Handle With Care
Despite what medieval paintings might suggest, children are not homunculi—Latin for "little men". From the first wail of infancy to the...

SQ
Mar 234 min read


Fumbles, Botches, and Graceful Recoveries
In the past few hours, there has been much talk about Ben Stiller's funny bit at the Oscars, including an analysis of how it is a good...

SQ
Mar 42 min read


Brief Airings, Big Bearings
2025 appears to be in the running to be one of the worst years for aviation, or at least that’s what it feels like from all the media...

SQ
Feb 284 min read


That Concrete Wall Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
2024 turned out to be one of the worst years for aviation since the Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 . On Christmas Day, Azerbaijan...

SQ
Jan 163 min read


Consumerism, Ethics, and the Hidden Influence of Human Factors
From GOOD Magazine Issue 6, circa. 2007. In response to my recent commentary, a friend (yes you, PJ) asked whether human factors research...

SQ
Dec 28, 20243 min read


To Err Is Human—And So Is Human-dependent Technology
Photo source: X/@jsuryareddy Just over a week ago on 24-Nov, three men knowingly obeyed their navigation app but unknowingly plummeted to...

SQ
Dec 4, 20244 min read


Speaking Up Can Be Hard When You're Expected To Just Comply
Recently in Kentucky, USA, the attorney general questioned whether criminal charges were appropriate in a troubling case involving a man...

SQ
Nov 12, 20244 min read


A Radical Shift in Mindset for Healthcare Human Factors?
MEDICINE is a broad discipline that requires years of education and hands-on practice just to get started. MEDICINE is so broad and...

SQ
Sep 30, 20242 min read


IEA2024: Patients and Caregivers are Healthcare's Hidden, Neglected, Informal Workers
The International Ergonomics Association is the mothership for all human factors societies worldwide, and every three years it organizes...

SQ
Sep 1, 20244 min read


Diagnosing Diagnostic Safety
Earlier this year, one of Singapore’s F-16 fighter jet crashed soon after take-off. The pilot had to eject because the pitch rate...

SQ
Jul 29, 20244 min read


How to Misuse Just Culture to Elegantly Desecrate Your Organization's Safety Culture
While the topic of Just Culture pops up from time to time, its roots can be traced all the way back to the formation of the Aviation...

SQ
Jul 29, 20245 min read


Everything In Moderation, Including Procrastination
(First published on healthxchange.sg) Like an all-you-can-eat mala buffet, procrastination is also a guilty pleasure that we choose to...

SQ
Jul 28, 20242 min read


You Might Be Designing Checklists Wrong
As Atul Gawande would attest, checklists can prevent harm and save lives. In his popular book, “The Checklist Manifesto”, he shared...

SQ
Jul 28, 20243 min read


Why Your Well-meaning Behavior-change Intervention Doesn't Work
(First published 24 March, 2023 here) How are your 2023 resolutions coming along so far? Have you already given up on them? Why do new...

SQ
Jul 28, 20242 min read
Like what you're reading?
Join the email list and get fresh commentaries delivered straight to your inbox.
bottom of page