Check up on checklists
Last month, HMC knowledge consultant Laurie Grothman led an iConference about how the use of simple checklists enables hospitals to reduce or eliminate costly mistakes that sicken or kill patients. Checklists in use at peer facilities are included.
Checklists have demonstrated they can lead to improvement in overall outcomes and patient care. In fact, one facility applying checklists saw its death rate for patients fall 47 percent. In another instance, the number of patients needing to go to the OR after their original operations because of bleeding or other technical problems fell by one-fourth.
Regrettably, however, checklist adoption in medicine and critical care has been slow.
