Proactive flight safety - a feasibility study on optimal use of flight data monitoring and incident reports in an airline.

Objectives. This study aimed to identify problems with the use of flight data monitoring (FDM) and incident report systems in an airline, present considerations for improvement and suggest a model of how these considerations relate to increased flight safety and lower costs. Methods. Data were collected from information technology systems and interviews with managers in key positions. The study involved identification and evaluation of available sources of FDM and incident reports, interviews with people in positions with ownership of change, relevant perspectives of safety-related challenges and model creation. Results. Problems include the sheer amount of data collected, floor and ceiling effects, arbitrary cut-off points and lack of interconnectivity with other sources. The incident report system has practical problems (user-interface rigidity, online dependency), unclear responsibility for the overall process and disagreement on what requires follow-up, resulting in fewer reports getting written. Put together, detection of dysfunctional patterns is difficult. Conclusion. Simple proactive interventions using the current data and report systems can ensure higher levels of flight safety and lower costs. This begins with ecologically valid FDM providing a basis for efficient identification and handling of incident reports, which enables learning from malpractices and facilitates communication between management and flying staff.

The evolving relationship between premorbid intelligence and serious depression across the lifespan - A longitudinal study of 43,540 Swedish men.

BACKGROUND: An association between higher intelligence and lower probability of serious depression has previously been established. Yet, to our knowledge, no large prospective study has examined the relationship across the lifespan. METHODS: A cohort of 49,321 Swedish men was followed from conscription in 1969-70 (age 18-20) through to 2008. Odds ratios (OR) for first time hospitalisation for depression (FTHD) were calculated in relation to intelligence for distinct time periods across the lifespan, while controlling for established risk factors for depression. RESULTS: There was a linear association between higher intelligence in youth and lower odds for FTHD during the entire follow-up period, 1973-2008. The association got progressively weaker across the lifespan. During 1973-80, one step down on the stanine scale was associated with an unadjusted increase in OR of 1.34 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-1.42], adjusted OR 1.23 [1.15-1.32]; while, during 2001-2008, the ORs were less than half of the magnitude of the first period, unadjusted 1.14 [1.07-1.21], and adjusted 1.09 [1.01-1.17]. LIMITATIONS: The study includes men only, and the number of available places for in-patient care decreased during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: For the first time, we have shown that the association between lower intelligence and depression decreases over time. The attenuation of the association in the adjusted models suggests a slower accumulation of depressogenic stressors among people with a higher IQ-score. Further exploration of intelligence's role in the etiology of depression across the lifespan is required in order to facilitate adequate diagnoses and ameliorating interventions.