Prof Ken Catchpole

Professor Ken Catchpole is a human-factors engineer and the SmartState Endowed Chair in Clinical Practice and Human Factors at the Medical University of South Carolina. His doctoral work studied ambulance siren design, and he went on to lead the study that took Great Ormond Street’s paediatric cardiac surgeons to a Formula 1 pit crew — a redesign of patient handover that cut errors and became one of the most cited examples of cross-industry safety learning. His ParaPodcast conversation covers handovers, hierarchy, cognitive load, and why looking after clinicians is looking after patients.