The WHO surgical checklist was introduced to most UK surgical units following the WHO ââ?¬Å?Safe Surgery Saves Livesââ?¬Â initiative.\r\nThe aim of this audit was to review patientââ?¬â?¢s safety in the delivery of surgical care and to evaluate the practical application of\r\nthe new WHO surgical checklist. We conducted a retrospective audit of patients who received operative treatment under general\r\nanaesthesia at our Plastic Surgery Department, involving a total number of 90 patients. TheWHOform was compared to its former\r\nequivalents. Complications or incidents occurring during or after surgery were recorded. Using the departmentââ?¬â?¢s previous surgical\r\nchecklist, ââ?¬Å?Time outââ?¬Â was only performed in only 30% of cases. One patient arrived at theatre reception without a completed\r\nconsent form, and two clinical incidents were reported without patients suffering harm. Following introduction of current WHO\r\nsurgical checklist, ââ?¬Å?Time outââ?¬Â was recorded in 80% of cases. In all cases, the newWHO surgical checklist was used and no incidents\r\nwere reported. TheWHO surgical checklist provides a structured frame work that standardizes the delivery of care across hospitals\r\nand specialized units; however, it will take some time and practice for teams to learn to use the checklist effectively and reliably.
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