Surgical Safety Checklist

Abstract

This case focuses on the implementation of surgical safety checklists by asking the question: Does the implementation of a 19-item surgical safety checklist designed to improve team communication and consistency of care reduce complications and deaths associated with surgery? In this prospective study of preintervention and postintervention periods, baseline data on clinical processes and outcomes were collected from 3,733 consecutively enrolled patients. After the introduction of the surgical safety checklist, data on an additional 3,955 consecutively enrolled patients were collected. There was a reduction in the rate of major complications during hospitalization within the first 30 days postoperatively after the implementation of a 19-item surgical safety checklist at eight hospitals around the world.