Surgical safety checklists in developing countries.
The World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (WHO SSC) has demonstrated efficacy in developed and developing countries alike. Recent increases in awareness of surgical morbidity in developing countries has placed greater emphasis on strategies to improve surgical safety in resource-limited settings. The implementation of surgical safety checklists in low-income countries has specific barriers related to resources and culture. Adapting and amending existing surgical safety checklists, as well as considering factors unique to developing countries, may allow the potential of this simple intervention to be fully harnessed in a wider setting. This review will address the benefits and challenges of implementation of surgical safety checklists in developing countries. Moreover, inspiration for the original checklist is revisited to identify areas that will be of particular benefit in a resource-poor setting. Potential future strategies to encourage the implementation of checklists in these countries are also discussed.
Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Electronic address: sayinthen.vivekanantham@gmail.com.
Sayinthen
S
Vivekanantham
Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Electronic address: rahul.prashanth.ravindran@gmail.com.
Rahul Prashanth
RP
Ravindran
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 01451, USA. Electronic address: kumaran.shanmugarajah@tbrc.mgh.harvard.edu.
Kumaran
K
Shanmugarajah
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 01451, USA. Electronic address: maruthappu@post.harvard.edu.
Mahiben
M
Maruthappu
Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Electronic address: j.shalhoub@imperial.ac.uk.
Joseph
J
Shalhoub
D057189:Checklist; D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*
Checklists; Developing countries; Safety; Surgery; World Health Organization