Checking in healthcare safety: theoretical basis and practical application.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety research
• Human factors in medicine

Background:

• Checking procedures are integral to healthcare, with errors in bedside checks causing mis-transfusions.
• Understanding these procedures is crucial for preventing adverse events and enhancing patient care.
• Existing checks range from unwritten practices to official guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and enhance the understanding of healthcare checking procedures.
• To identify a research agenda for improving healthcare checking and performance.
• To investigate the psychological factors influencing patient safety checks.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple databases (CINAHL, PsycLIT, EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, MEDLINE).
• Search terms included "bedside, peri-operative safety, theatre checking and checklists" in English publications.
• The review focused on identifying psychological factors and research gaps.

Main Results:

• Psychological factors such as memory, prospective memory, automaticity, and responsibility significantly impact checking performance in healthcare.
• These factors are integral to human behavior and directly relevant to patient safety.
• The study highlights the complex interplay between individual psychology and procedural adherence.

Conclusions:

• Several psychological factors influencing healthcare checking and patient safety have been identified.
• Further research is recommended to explore the relationship between checking behaviors and personality traits.
• Investigating healthcare mindfulness and existing staff reminder/checking strategies is crucial for future improvements.