Abstract
The WHO surgical checklist was introduced to most UK surgical units following the WHO “Safe Surgery Saves Lives” initiative. The aim of this audit was to review patient's safety in the delivery of surgical care and to evaluate the practical application of the new WHO surgical checklist. We conducted a retrospective audit of patients who received operative treatment under general anaesthesia at our Plastic Surgery Department, involving a total number of 90 patients. The WHO form was compared to its former equivalents. Complications or incidents occurring during or after surgery were recorded. Using the department's previous surgical checklist, “Time out” was only performed in only 30% of cases. One patient arrived at theatre reception without a completed consent form, and two clinical incidents were reported without patients suffering harm. Following introduction of current WHO surgical checklist, “Time out” was recorded in 80% of cases. In all cases, the new WHO surgical checklist was used and no incidents were reported. The WHO surgical checklist provides a structured frame work that standardizes the delivery of care across hospitals and specialized units; however, it will take some time and practice for teams to learn to use the checklist effectively and reliably.
Highlights
Patient safety forms an integral part of any healthcare organization
In the UK, over one million incident reports have been collected since the National Patient Safety Agency was founded, and between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, there were 135,247 incidents reported in surgical specialties to the Reporting and Learning System (RLS) [1]
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in the UK has issued an alert requiring all hospitals in England and Wales to implement the peri-operative checklist by February 2010 [1]
Summary
Patient safety forms an integral part of any healthcare organization. surgery can be an unsafe environment and provide a unique opportunity for adverse effects. In the UK, over one million incident reports have been collected since the National Patient Safety Agency was founded, and between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, there were 135,247 incidents reported in surgical specialties to the Reporting and Learning System (RLS) [1]. The initiative aimed to identify minimum standards of surgical care that could be universally applied across countries and settings. One component of the initiative was the introduction of a perioperative checklist [2]. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in the UK has issued an alert requiring all hospitals in England and Wales to implement the peri-operative checklist by February 2010 [1]. Prior to the introduction of the WHO surgical checklist, the peri-operative checklists developed according to the local trust policy were used. The local annual audit review at our hospital identified areas where standards were not met and other areas of shortfalls.
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