Credit: iStockphoto
iStockphoto
The next big break through in surgery might not be a sophisticated new tool or imaging device; instead, it may be a simple checklist that the surgical team has to run through before making the first incision. In a pilot study, researchers found that using the checklist cut the death rate following surgery by 47 percent, while the complication rate decreased by 36 percent. The procedure is simple:
Surgeons and nurses run through a series of basic safety checks before each operation, similar to those made by pilots before take-off. The checks include asking: Is this the right patient? Is this the right limb? Has the patient had the right drugs? [The Independent]
The checklist is composed of 19 fairly obvious items, but lead researcher Atul Gawande says that
even a small change, like having surgical team members take a moment to say who they are and ...
