Back to Basics: Implementing the Surgical Checklist

Surgery is complex and technically demanding for all team members. Surgical checklists have been implemented with different degrees of success in the perioperative setting. There is a wealth of evidence that they are effective at preventing patient safety events and helping team members master the complexities of modern health care. Implementation is key to successful use of the surgical checklist in all invasive procedural settings. Key strategies for successful checklist implementation include establishing a multidisciplinary team to implement the checklist, involving surgeon leaders, pilot testing the checklist, incorporating feedback from team members to improve the process, recognizing and addressing barriers to implementation, and offering coaching and continuous feedback to team members who use the checklist. Using these strategies will give the perioperative nurse, department leaders, and surgeons the tools to implement a successful checklist.