The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) supports the introduction of surgical checklists to ensure patient safety in operating theatres and to prevent complications from occurring.
Unfortunately, mistakes, though rare, are sometimes made during surgery but, as evidence by the paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the use of the simple tool of a checklist dramatically improves patient outcomes, even before surgery commences. This is because the attending multi-professional teams have an aide-mémoire to anticipate problems, ensure that protocol is followed appropriately and to intervene quickly when necessary.
The RCOG will review the template surgical safety checklist, as recommended by the WHO, and will adapt it to the needs of the specialty so that NHS maternity and gynaecology units are compliant by 2010.
Notes
The paper ‘A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population’, published online on 14 January on NEJM.org.
For more information on the WHO’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives campaign and for demonstrations on using the checklist, please click here.
To view the Patient Safety Alert from the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), please click <http://www.npsa.nhs.uk/nrls/alerts-and-directives/alerts/safer-surgery-alert/>