Proposal for a complementary surgical checklist for brain tumor surgery

Once the WHO generic surgical checklist has been standardized and following the itinerary proposed, it is up to the different specialties to continue advancing in the improvement and adjustment of the checklists to the procedures and interventions in their field.

Through a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in which professionals from the surgical area of ​​the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, Jaén Hospital Complex and Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital participated, aspects that could condition patient safety in the surgery of the brain tumors and that are not included in the WHO generic surgical checklist were recognized. The three authors gave a score between 1 and 5 to each of the proposed items incrementally depending on the degree of suitability. Based on the score obtained, they selected those who would be incorporated into the specific surgical checklist.

A total of 24 candidate items were identified to be included in the specific check list. These obtained scores between 14 and 10 points. After this weighting, it was decided to include the 12 best-rated items in the final surgical checklist, six of them in the initial phase, three in the phase prior to the incision and another three in the final part of the checklist prior to the completion of the procedure.

Professionals in the surgical area of ​​Neurosurgery can identify aspects not included in the generic checklist whose non-compliance can condition the patient's safety at least to the same extent as those included in the generic list. It is possible to propose a specific complementary checklist for brain tumor surgery, in charge of collecting aspects related to the safety and success of these procedures.