Summary

The utility of emergency manuals is well established in professions such as aviation, nuclear energy, and space travel, where the consequences of decisions made under stress can be grave when the unexpected happens. However, until recently, the same could not be said of the operating room, arguably an environment more complex than that found in the cockpit of a commercial jet or the control room of a nuclear power plant, due to the inherent complexity of human beings. This article reviews the rationale for the use of emergency manuals, also known as cognitive aids, designed for use by anesthesiologists.