Cohort Study on the Implementation of a Surgical Checklist from the Operating Room to the Postanesthesia Care Unit

To provide evidence of a well-structured information transfer that prevents the loss of information relevant to patient care.

Pre-post cohort study on the implementation of a surgical checklist from the operating room to postanesthesia care unit.

Main variable was the transfer of relevant and correct information. The secondary variables include time, interruptions, and satisfaction.

In the prechecklist stage, 59 transfers were collected; with an average time of 68.5 seconds, 41.7% of the transfers encountered interruptions, and only 8.5% of the reports were complete with all data. After instituting the checklist, 63 transfers were analyzed with an average time of 96.4 seconds, no interruptions occurred in 71.3% of the transfers, and all the items were transmitted in 92.1% of the cases. Number of interferences decreased. Transfer time increased significantly, but 80.3% of staff found the checklist useful.

A written and structured checklist minimizes the loss of relevant information, thus improving safety in the process.