The Checklist Effect
Since the release of the Checklist in June 2008, thousands of hospitals have started using the Checklist in their operating theatres. Below are anecdotal stories and data that hospitals have released demonstrating that the Checklist has made a difference in their operating theatres.
SURPASS Checklist, Netherlands
Researchers in the Netherlands developed a 100-item checklist that spans the surgical pathway, including checks that address medications, marking of the correct operative site, and ensuring that the team discusses post-operative instructions. Compared to controls, the six test hospitals had a greater than one-third reduction in complications and achieved an almost 50% reduction in deaths. To learn more about the findings that were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, please click here.
Dr. John Birkmeyer Editorial, New England Journal of Medicine
Dr. John Birkmeyer discusses the use of checklists in the operating room and beyond in the November 2010 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. To read Dr. Berkmeyer's editorial please click here.
Veterans Health Administration, United States
The Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) implemented a formalized team training program in 74 of their facilities that included the use of a surgical safety checklist. The hospitals that participated in this program experienced an 18% reduction in mortality. Click here to learn more about the results that were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Region Zealand, Hospital South - Naestved, Denmark
The departments of Surgery and Anesthesiology at Region Zealand, Hospital South recently published a poster highlighting the effect that the WHO's Surgical Safety Checklist has had in their hospital. They reported a 35% reduction in mortality. To learn more about these results click here.
Private Hatwan Hospital - Kurdistan, Iraq
Private Hatwan Hospital in Kurdistan, Iraq experienced a significant reduction in their complication rate and found that the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist increased compliance with the administration of prophylactic antibiotics and site marking for Endoscopic procedures. To see these results click here.
University Hospital - Monastir, Tunisia
Researchers at Tunisia’s University Hospital of Monastir led a study to measure the effect of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in their Pediatric Surgery Department. Find out more about how they developed the study as well as their results by clicking here.
The National Patient Safety Agency - Wales, United Kingdom
The use of the Checklist has now spread to every hospital in Wales that performs surgical procedures. Since the Checklist was implemented at a national scale, they have experienced increased compliance with the appropriate timing of antibiotic administration and verification of the patient’s name, procedure, and where the incision will be made. To see the how the Checklist affected surgical care in Wales click here.
University Health Network Toronto General Hospital - Toronto, Canada
See how the Checklist has impacted care at University Health Network's Toronto General Hospital. Although they first started using the Surgical Safety Checklist in 2008, when they served as one of the eight pilot sites for our efficacy study, they have since incorporated it into their standard of care. To learn more about UHN and its role in our pilot study, please click here.
Great Ormand Street Hospital - London, United Kingdom
The Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust published a video on the value of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. Click here to view larger.
