Current practice: safety checklists for pleural procedures

Abstract

Background: Recent national guidance in the UK in NHS England’s National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures has mandated the use of safety checklists for all pleural procedures as it may reduce complication rates. It is unclear if these are consistently being used. Aims: We sought to assess the usage of such a patient safety tool in hospitals throughout our region by trainees who regularly perform these procedures. Methods: An online survey was distributed to respiratory registrars in South London and Kent, Surrey & Sussex Deaneries. Questions included which pleural procedures are performed, in what settings they occur, and the use of checklists for this purpose. Results: There were 15 respondents from hospitals throughout the region. Of those who reported performing pleural procedures in their hospital, most (62%) used a checklist for chest drain insertion, whilst fewer did so for thoracentesis (38%) and IPC (50%). Most procedures were performed on respiratory wards, dedicated procedure rooms and emergency departments, but the use of checklists varied between them (56%, 56% and 11% respectively). Of checklists used, 67% were locally devised and the rest based on the WHO Radiologic Intervention Checklist. Conclusions: Safety checklists are used for pleural procedures in the majority of hospitals surveyed, although their utilisation is highly variable between departments. Given the impetus for further safety measures for invasive procedures, awareness of the importance and availability of checklists should be enhanced. Further highlighting in respiratory guidelines along with a standardised checklist may help.