Computers are an essential part of the answer, but only part. Even in healthcare systems that enjoy advanced computerized records, person-to-person communication remains both necessary and potentially error prone (one study of internal medicine residents' sign-outs found omissions and mischaracterizations in nearly one in four information transfers19). In civil and military aviation, fields that, like healthcare, depend on the accurate transmittal of information, the so-called phonetic alphabet is often used during voice communications. In this system, a standardized word substitutes for a single letter (such as Alpha for “A,” Bravo for “B,” Charlie for “C,” and so on), which permits one person to clarify a bit of information, such as the spelling of a name, without wasting time thinking of words that might have a common reference. Using this same system in a hospital, “Oscar Romeo” for operating room (OR) would never be confused with “Echo Romeo” for ER.