While some descendents of Visigoths may argue that German precision triumphs über alles, a number of doctors have been learning from American and Italian pit crews. Way back when, the Wood Brothers revolutionized the pit stop, and ever since, their techniques have been adapted to racing series all over the world. And when Tom Kelley, general manager at design firm IDEO, suggested recently that hospital teams could learn from pit crews, a couple of hospitals on either side of the pond had actually already put theory into practice, developing ready-made solutions for common scenarios both in the ER and ICU, leaning heavily on the coordination tactics of both NASCAR crews and Ferrari's Formula One team. And people think that we gearheads are good for nothing. Sheesh.
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