Checklists in Healthcare

The use of checklists in healthcare is not a new concept. As far back as the 1960’s, nurses were using checklists to record patient vital signs.

Over the years, many different versions of checklists have been created in various healthcare settings to enhance communication between members of the healthcare team and to improve the delivery of patient care.

Poor communication between members of the healthcare team can result in errors and adverse outcomes for patients. Physicians and nurses must focus on many complex aspects of patient care delivery at one time, and relying on memory alone may be inadequate. Checklists are excellent tools to document data and assessment findings, as well as serve as reminders for essential information that needs to be evaluated.

Checklists are used for procedures like insertion of central lines and in surgical procedures, as well as for day to day routines. According to Shrinkman (2010), the results of using checklists in healthcare are promising. Not only are errors adverse patient outcomes more avoidable, but complication rates and healthcare costs are decreased. While the use of checklists has proven successful, there are some limitations. Not every patient safety issue can be resolved by a checklist. Those of us involved in patient care delivery will continue to redesign and implement strategies for improvement.

Reference:

Shrinkman, R., (2010). Checklist could save hospitals thousands. FierceHealthFinance. Retrieved from www.fiercehealthfinance.com/node/9019/print