Global Surgery & Anesthesia

A very interesting article giving great credibility to the idea of checklists and their impact on patient safety. And thanks to the work by this dedicated group, the checklist is being used in operating rooms in many part of over the world. One thing that is not given enough emphasis (in my opinion) in the discussion is that the checklist was initially implemented in these study sites on a voluntary basis. The local team leaders did a lot of work at the site incorporating the checklist into their operating room routine and administration supported the project. This set the stage for all involved to see the checklist as part of a collaborative tool to improve patient safety. And even though some providers at the site may have been initially unconvinced about the utility of the checklist, at least they were part of the process. This may account for some of the positive results. The entire environment in the operating room was supportive of a process intended to lead to improved patient safety. So was it the checklist or did the process contribute to the positive findings?

I’d like to hear about other people’s experience with the checklist in ...

A very interesting article giving great credibility to the idea of checklists and their impact on patient safety. And thanks to the work by this dedicated group, the checklist is being used in operating rooms in many part of over the world. One thing that is not given enough emphasis (in my opinion) in the discussion is that the checklist was initially implemented in these study sites on a voluntary basis. The local team leaders did a lot of work at the site incorporating the checklist into their operating room routine and administration supported the project. This set the stage for all involved to see the checklist as part of a collaborative tool to improve patient safety. And even though some providers at the site may have been initially unconvinced about the utility of the checklist, at least they were part of the process. This may account for some of the positive results. The entire environment in the operating room was supportive of a process intended to lead to improved patient safety. So was it the checklist or did the process contribute to the positive findings?

I’d like to hear about other people’s experience with the checklist in the operating room. My experience at a few places where this buy-in was not part of the process is not as positive. In these places, the checklist was just ordered to be used (from a physician leader or a nursing supervisor) without getting buy-in from the players. Even a year into implementation, providers (doctors, nurses, and techs) do not use it in the manner intended and it has become just another burdensome form to be completed. I know other surgeons with similar experiences.

Anyone else with other comments/experiences to share with the group?

nbs