Use of pre-induction checklists causes less discomfort in patients than anaesthesia providers expect

Summary

New research by Dr Sabine Nabecker and colleagues, published in the European Journal of Anaesthesiology, suggests surgery patients overwhelmingly prefer pre-surgical safety checklists to be completed in front of them, contrary to what is thought by doctors. 

Since WHO launched the Safe Surgery Saves Lives Program in 2008, surgery checklists have minimised errors and improve patient safety worldwide. The WHO-approved Safe Surgery checklist includes asking the patient to confirm their name, procedure and consent, and the medical team to check that the anaesthesia machine and medication has been checked. The list also checks if patients have known allergies and if antibiotics have been administered in the previous 60 minutes, as is standard with many surgeries.

"Anaesthesia professionals are often reluctant to use checklists in front of patients because they fear causing patients' discomfort before anaesthesia and surgery," explains Dr Nabecker. "Yet our study shows that patients overwhelmingly prefer to see the checklist completed in front of them."