title: Use of a Surgical Safety Checklist to Improve Team Communication.
abstract: To improve surgical team communication, a team at Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, implemented a program for process improvement using a locally adapted World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist. This program included a standardized, comprehensive time out and a briefing/debriefing process. Postimplementation responses to the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire revealed a significant increase in the surgical team's perception of communication compared with that reported on the pretest (6% improvement resulting in t79 = -1.72, P < .05, d = 0.39). Perceptions of communication increased significantly for nurses (12% increase, P = .002), although the increase for surgeons and surgical technologists was lower (4% for surgeons, P = .15 and 2.3% for surgical technologists, P = .06). As a result of this program, we have observed improved surgical teamwork behaviors and an enhanced culture of safety in the OR.
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: Cabral
authors: Terry
authors: T
authors: Eggenberger
authors: Kathryn
authors: K
authors: Keller
authors: Barry S
authors: BS
authors: Gallison
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Newman
mesh_terms: D057189:Checklist; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D061214:Patient Safety
keywords: WHO Surgical Safety Checklist; communication; safety; teamwork