Frequency of use and knowledge of the WHO-surgical checklist in Swiss hospitals: a cross-sectional online survey

Abstract

BackgroundThe WHO-surgical checklist is strongly recommended as a highly effective yet economically simple intervention to improve patient safety. Its use and potentially influential factors were investigated as little data exist on the current situation in Switzerland.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey with members (N = 1378) of three Swiss professional associations of invasive health care professionals was conducted in German, French, and Italian. The survey assessed use of, knowledge of and satisfaction with the WHO-surgical checklist. T-Tests and ANOVA were conducted to test for differences between professional groups. Bivariate correlations were computed to test for associations between measures of knowledge and satisfaction.Results1090 (79.1%) reported the use of a surgical checklist. 346 (25.1%) use the WHO-checklist, 532 (38.6%) use the Swiss Patient Safety Foundation recommendations to avoid Wrong Site Surgery, and 212 (15.7%) reported the use of other checklists. Satisfaction with checklist use was generally high (doctors: 71.9% satisfied, nurses: 60.8% satisfied) and knowledge was moderate depending on the use of the WHO-checklist. No association between measures of subjective and objective knowledge was found.ConclusionsImplementation of a surgical checklist remains an important task for health care institutions in Switzerland. Although checklist use is present in Switzerland on a regular basis, a substantial group of health care personnel still do not use a checklist as a routine. Influential factors and the associations among themselves need to be addressed in future studies in more detail.

Implementation of the Surgical Safety Checklist in Switzerland and Perceptions of Its Benefits: Cross-Sectional Survey

“…However, despite an “official” adhesion to SSC of the majority of perioperative health care professionals [20]–[23], there are many barriers hindering the success of its implementation [24] and the promotion of a true safety culture [20], [22], [23], [25]–[30]. A recent survey among Swiss surgical healthcare professionals showed moderate satisfaction with the SSC [31]. This mixed picture suggests that the implementation of the checklist is facing not only barriers from healthcare organizations but also barriers related to the perception of the benefit of the SSC.…”

Surgical checklist use in Switzerland 2015 – where are we today?: a cross-sectional national survey study

“…Also, more than 90 % of the participants report that they are familiar with the WHO-surgical checklist. In 2012, only about 25 % of the participants reported using the WHO-surgical checklist [15]. Although this comparison is not based on repeated measures, it clearly indicates a more prominent use of the WHO-surgical checklist in Switzerland today.…”

“…It was developed on the basis of extensive review of the literature and own pilot studies. Details on questionnaire development and translation of an earlier version of this questionnaire are reported elsewhere [15].The survey consisted of three conceptual and one socio-demographical part. The first part referred to the general knowledge and use of the WHO-surgical checklists (e.g., "Do you know the WHOsurgical checklist?")…”

“…Although checklist use is not new in Switzerland, compliance and actual use fall short behind expectations taking scientific recommendation as standard. In a national online survey study in 2012, Mascherek et al [15] found that about 80 % of the study participants in Switzerland used a surgical checklist on an everyday level. However, only 25 % reported using the WHO-surgical checklist.…”

Patientensicherheit in der Shuntchirurgie

“…Instrumente wie die Checkliste sind nicht für einen mandatorischen Einsatz geeignet da sie schnell zu einer oberflächlichen, routinemässigen "Ankreuz-Übung" werden können. In vielen Ländern, so auch in Deutschland und der Schweiz ist die Verwendung einer perioperativen Checkliste inzwischen weit verbreitet [11]. Allerdings zeigen Beobachtungsstudien, dass die tatsächliche Umsetzung der chirurgischen Checkliste oft nicht optimal ist und die Variabilität in der Compliance erheblich ist [2].…”