Increasing compliance with the World Health Organisation's Surgical Safety Checklist.

Area of Science:

• Patient Safety
• Surgical Quality Improvement
• Healthcare Auditing

Background:

• The World Health Organisation Surgical Safety Checklist (WHO SSC) is crucial for reducing surgical complications.
• Universal adoption and full compliance with the WHO SSC remain challenges in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To audit compliance with the WHO SSC in trauma and orthopaedic units.
• To assess the impact of practice changes on WHO SSC compliance.
• To identify areas needing improvement for enhanced surgical safety.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two audit cycles in two distinct trauma and orthopaedic units.
• Measured compliance rates for different components of the WHO SSC.
• Implemented practice changes at one site and re-audited compliance.

Main Results:

• Site 1 demonstrated significantly lower initial compliance with the team-brief (p<0.001).
• Following practice changes, compliance at Site 1 significantly increased (p>0.00001).
• Consistent poor compliance was observed for the team de-brief component across both sites.

Conclusions:

• Regular auditing and adaptive practice changes are essential for improving WHO SSC compliance.
• National monitoring is recommended to ensure widespread application of WHO SSC benefits.
• Addressing de-brief compliance is critical for maximizing patient safety in surgery.