Introduction Of Surgical Safety Checklist Research Articles

An evaluation into the effectiveness of surgical safety checklists in veterinary procedures

Background: Extensive research has been conducted evaluating surgical safety checklists in human medicine, but comparative research is lacking within veterinary medicine. Aim To evaluate the possible benefits of applying a surgical safety checklist to veterinary procedures. Methods: The checklist, created by the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists (AVA), was applied to roughly 50% of patients undergoing surgical procedures in a veterinary practice in Edinburgh, Scotland during an 8-week period in 2020. The remaining 50% was not subjected to a checklist and was therefore used as a control group. Results: With the application of the checklist, the practices participating in the study experienced a 4% decrease in postoperative complications, although this was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The frequency of postoperative complications after surgical procedures reduced following the introduction of surgical safety checklists.

Effect of surgical safety checklists on pediatric surgical complications in Ontario.

In health care, most preventable adverse events occur in the operating room. Surgical safety checklists have become a standard of care for safe operating room practice, but there is conflicting evidence for the effectiveness of checklists to improve perioperative outcomes in some populations. Our objective was to determine whether surgical safety checklists are associated with a reduction in the proportion of children who had perioperative complications. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative health care databases housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences to compare the risk of perioperative complications in children undergoing common types of surgery before and after the mandated implementation of surgical safety checklists in 116 acute care hospitals in Ontario. The primary outcome was a composite outcome of 30-day all-cause mortality and perioperative complications. We identified 14 458 and 14 314 surgical procedures in pre- and postchecklist groups, respectively. The proportion of children who had perioperative complications was 4.08% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.76%-4.40%) before the implementation of the checklist and 4.12% (95% CI 3.80%-4.45%) after implementation. After we adjusted for confounding factors, we found no significant difference in the odds of perioperative complications after the introduction of surgical safety checklists (adjusted odds ratio 1.01, 95% CI 0.90-1.14, p = 0.9). The implementation of surgical safety checklists for pediatric surgery in Ontario was not associated with a reduction in the proportion of children who had perioperative complications. ClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT02419053.

The Gap between Individual Perception and Compliance: A Qualitative Follow-Up Study of the Surgical Safety Checklist Application.

Background“The Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) is important, but we don’t use it adequately” is a well-suited statement that reflects the SSC's application in hospitals. Our aim was to follow up on our initial study on compliance (2014) by analysing differences between individual perception and compliance with the SSC.MethodsWe conducted a follow-up online survey to assess healthcare professionals’ individual perception of, as well as satisfaction and compliance with the SSC three years following its thorough implementation.Results171 (19.5%) of 875 operating team members completed the online survey. 99.4% confirmed using the SSC. Self-estimated subjective knowledge about the intention of the checklist was high, whereas objective knowledge was moderate, but improved as compared to 2014. According to an independent audit the SSC was used in 93.1% of all operations and among the SSCs used the completion rate was 57.2%. The use of the SSC was rated as rather easy [median (IQR): 7 (6–7)], familiar [7 (6–7)], generally important [7 (7–7)], and good for patients [7 (6–7)] as well as for employees [7 (7–7)]. Only comfort of use was rated lower [6 (5–7)].ConclusionThere is a gap between individual perception and actual application of the SSC. Despite healthcare professionals confirming the importance of the SSC, compliance was moderate. The introduction of SSCs in the health care sector remains a constant challenge and requires continuous re-evaluation as well as a sensible integration into existing workflows in hospitals.

Introduction of Surgical Safety Checklists in Ontario, Canada

Introduction of Surgical Safety Checklists in Ontario, Canada

Introduction of Surgical Safety Checklists in Ontario, Canada

BackgroundEvidence from observational studies that the use of surgical safety checklists results in striking improvements in surgical outcomes led to the rapid adoption of such checklists worldwide. However, the effect of mandatory adoption of surgical safety checklists is unclear. A policy encouraging the universal adoption of checklists by hospitals in Ontario, Canada, provided a natural experiment to assess the effectiveness of checklists in typical practice settings.MethodsWe surveyed all acute care hospitals in Ontario to determine when surgical safety checklists were adopted. Using administrative health data, we compared operative mortality, rate of surgical complications, length of hospital stay, and rates of hospital readmission and emergency department visits within 30 days after discharge among patients undergoing a variety of surgical procedures before and after adoption of a checklist.ResultsDuring 3-month periods before and after adoption of a surgical safety checklist, a total of 101 hospitals performed 109,341 and 106,370 procedures, respectively. The adjusted risk of death during a hospital stay or within 30 days after surgery was 0.71% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.76) before implementation of a surgical checklist and 0.65% (95% CI, 0.60 to 0.70) afterward (odds ratio, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.03; P=0.13). The adjusted risk of surgical complications was 3.86% (95% CI, 3.76 to 3.96) before implementation and 3.82% (95% CI, 3.71 to 3.92) afterward (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.03; P=0.29).ConclusionsImplementation of surgical safety checklists in Ontario, Canada, was not associated with significant reductions in operative mortality or complications. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.)

A new national introductory simulation based course for ST3 level cardiothoracic surgical trainees

A new national introductory simulation based course for ST3 level cardiothoracic surgical trainees

Improving patient safety in the perioperative period: surgical safety checklists

Surgical complications are an unfortunate part of both medical and veterinary practice, but many are considered to be preventable if appropriate measures are implemented. In human healthcare, one of these measures has been the introduction of surgical safety checklists (SSCs). With proven origins in aviation, another high risk industry, checklists have been linked with the reduction of peri-operative complications and deaths in human hospitals by significant amounts. Recognising that the core values of SSCs are equally applicable to veterinary practice, the Animal Health Trust implemented their use in November 2008. Since then, positive outcomes observed include increased unity among the multiple specialist teams working in the theatre environment and improved communicaiton of vital information regarding individual patients and surgical procedures.

Introduction of Surgical Safety Checklist Ensures Consent Completion in Cath Lab

Introduction of Surgical Safety Checklist Ensures Consent Completion in Cath Lab

Healthcare associated infection: novel strategies and antimicrobial implants to prevent surgical site infection

This report is based on a Hygienist Panel Meeting held at St Anne's Manor, Wokingham on 24-25 June 2009. The panel agreed that greater use should be made of antiseptics to reduce reliance on antibiotics with their associated risk of antibiotic resistance. When choosing an antiseptic for clinical use, the Biocompatibility Index, which considers both the microbiocidal activity and any cytotoxic effects of an antiseptic agent, was considered to be a useful tool. The need for longer and more proactive post-discharge surveillance of surgical patients was also agreed to be a priority, especially given the current growth of day-case surgery. The introduction of surgical safety checklists, such as the World Health Organization's Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative, is a useful contribution to improving safety and prevention of SSIs and should be used universally. Considering sutures as 'implants', with a hard or non-shedding surface to which micro-organisms can form biofilm and cause surgical site infections, was felt to be a useful concept.