Surgical safety checklists and understanding of Never Events, in UK and Irish dental hospitals

Abstract

Aim To identify the procedures in dental hospitals where a surgical safety checklist is used and in addition, in England, to identify the understanding of hospitals regarding patient safety incidents requiring reporting as Never Events to NHS England.Method A self-completed questionnaire survey asking about the use of checklists was distributed to 16 dental hospitals associated with undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland in the summer of 2015. For hospitals in England (10), additional questions regarding their understanding of incidents to be reported as Never Events were asked.Results Thirteen hospitals replied (8 in England). All use a surgical safety checklist in an operating theatre setting. Ten use a surgical safety checklist in an outpatient setting for the extraction of teeth. There is variable use of checklists for other procedures. The majority of English hospitals thought that the reporting of a 'Never Event' was required following wrong tooth extraction in whatever setting it occurred, including general dental practice.Conclusion Surgical safety checklists are increasingly used in dental hospitals, especially for oral surgery procedures. Beyond 'wrong tooth extraction', English dental hospitals have different understandings of what other oral and dental procedures require reporting as Never Events to NHS England.