Checklist principles
Objective 1: The use of checklists to improve surgical care
Checklists reduce variation and promote safety across medical and surgical settings
- Peter Provonost and colleagues were the first group to introduce a safety checklist into common use, and reported this in NEJM
- The checklist focussed on central venous catheter insertion in critical care
- Implementation of the checklist significantly reduced bloodstream infections
- This provided a proof-of-principle for checklists to improve patient safety
- Related paper: An Intervention to Decrease Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections in the ICU
- The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist has reduced mortality after all types of surgery after introduction by Alex Haynes, Atul Gawande and colleagues, again in NEJM
- It is now used in operating theatres all around the world
- Several papers have been published about how the checklist might have led to such a significant benefit
- The majority report improved safety culture, transparency and teamwork, and a reduction in avoidable error
- Related paper: A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population