title: Surgical Checklist Implementation Project: The Impact of Variable WHO Checklist Compliance on Risk-adjusted Clinical Outcomes After National Implementation: A Longitudinal Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate impact of WHO checklist compliance on risk-adjusted clinical outcomes, including the influence of checklist components (Sign-in, Time-out, Sign-out) on outcomes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  There remain unanswered questions surrounding surgical checklists as a quality and safety tool, such as the impact in cases of differing complexity and the extent of checklist implementation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from surgical admissions (6714 patients) from March 2010 to June 2011 at 5 academic and community hospitals. The primary endpoint was any complication, including mortality, occurring before hospital discharge. Checklist usage was recorded as checklist completed in full/partly. Multilevel modeling was performed to investigate the association between complications/mortality and checklist completion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant variability in checklist usage was found: although at least 1 of the 3 components was completed in 96.7% of cases, the entire checklist was only completed in 62.1% of cases. Checklist completion did not affect mortality reduction, but significantly lowered risk of postoperative complication (16.9% vs. 11.2%), and was largely noticed when all 3 components of the checklist had been completed (odds ratio = 0.57, 95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.87, P < 0.01). Calculated population-attributable fractions showed that 14% (95% confidence interval: 7%-21%) of the complications could be prevented if full completion of the checklist was implemented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Checklist implementation was associated with reduced case-mix-adjusted complications after surgery and was most significant when all 3 components of the checklist were completed. Full, as opposed to partial, checklist completion provides a health policy opportunity to improve checklist impact on surgical safety and quality of care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Erik K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sevdalis
authors.forename: Shantanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rout
authors.forename: Jochem
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caris
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Russ
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mansell
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Skapinakis
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Thanos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Athanasiou
authors.forename: Krishna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moorthy
authors.forename: Ara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darzi
mesh_terms: D057189:Checklist; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D020379:Risk Adjustment; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000592:standards*; D014944:World Health Organization