Outcomes of Postprocedural Closeout Checklist Implementation to Prevent Adverse Events during Interventional...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Image-guided procedures carry inherent risks of adverse events.
• Inadequate safety processes at the end of procedures can lead to complications.
• A Radiology Quality Committee identified the need for standardized safety protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a postprocedural closeout (PPC) checklist in reducing adverse events.
• To assess the impact of PPC implementation on patient outcomes in image-guided procedures.

Main Methods:

• A postprocedural closeout (PPC) checklist was developed based on prior adverse event analysis.
• Rates of serious reportable events and repeat procedures were tracked annually from 2015 to 2021.
• Adverse event rates were normalized to procedure volume and compared before (2015-2016) and after (2017-2021) PPC implementation.

Main Results:

• Adverse events decreased by 43% (from 0.069% to 0.034%) after PPC implementation (P = .05).
• Repeat procedures decreased by 80% (from 0.040% to 0.007%) (P = .0033).
• The severity of adverse events also showed a significant decrease (P = .009).

Conclusions:

• Implementation of a postprocedural closeout (PPC) checklist demonstrably improved patient safety.
• The PPC checklist led to a substantial reduction in adverse events and the need for repeat procedures.
• Standardized checklists are effective in mitigating risks associated with image-guided procedures.