Effect of surgical safety checklist on 90-day postop outcomes

The goal of surgical safety checklists is to reduce risk and prevent patient harm by recognizing high-risk situations, optimizing communication, minimizing the incidence of errors, and improving latent conditions.

The appropriately coached checklist implementation has been shown to reduce the incidence of perioperative complications and 30-day mortality. However, the association of surgical safety checklists with 90-day mortality remains unclear.

In this study from Italy, researchers assessed the association between the implementation of surgical safety checklists and all-cause 90- and 30-day mortality rates.

Results showed that implementation of surgical safety checklists was associated with a statistically significant 27% reduction in 90-day all-cause postoperative mortality, while 30-day mortality remained unchanged. The checklists were also associated with a reduction in length of stay but not 30-day readmission rates.

This is the first study to report on the association of surgical safety checklists with 90-day mortality, which might be even more important than 30-day mortality, the researchers say.

−Bock M, Doz P, Fanolla A, et al. Implementation of surgical safety checklists in a tertiary hospital. JAMA Surg. Published online February 3, 2016.
http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2484543