Effects of Use of Surgical Safety Checklist on Postoperative Complications

Abstract

Background: Surgery has become an integral part of global health care, with a lot of operations performed yearly. Surgical complications are common and often preventable.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a nineteen-item surgical safety WHO checklist in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with surgery.

Methods: Between June 2009 and January 2011, two hundred patients from different surgical departments undergoing surgeries were included in this study in Al-Karama Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. Data were collected about post operative complications, including death, after hospitalization and within the first thirty days after surgery. Another two hundred patients were considered as a control group and were included in the study in the same period and in the same hospital who underwent various surgical procedures and were followed for the same period.

Results: In the studied two hundred patients the overall complications was seen in  twenty patients (10%)  and death took place in one patient (0.5%), while in the two hundred patients control group overall complications were seen in forty four patients (22%) and death rate took place in four patient (2%) during thirty days postoperative follow up.

Conclusion: Implementation of check lists was associated with concomitant reduction in death rate and complications among patients undergoing surgery compared with those patients to whom no checklists were used.

Keywords: WHO, Complications, Checklist, Theatre.