The checklists: A help or a hassle? (August 2020)

Summary

Patient safety has become a central component of quality of care. One of the best known and most widely used security tools in all work settings is the checklists.

The checklist is a tool that helps to not forget any step during the performance of a procedure, to do tasks with an established order, to control the fulfilment of a series of requirements or to collect data in a systematic way for its subsequent analysis. It is an aid to improve the efficiency of teamwork, promote communication, decrease variability, standardise care and improve patient safety.

This article discusses the barriers in establishing checklists and the practical applications in paediatrics.