Utilization and Effectiveness of Surgical Safety Checklist in European Region

Year 2018 marks as the decade of introduction of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist into the world of modern surgery. Surgical safety checklist, a set of items vital within the perioperative patient’s safety checkup, easy to be performed in any of the operating theatres and under any circumstances, is proven to be an effective tool in fight against preventable adverse events in surgical care. The aim of our study was to present the results of implementation of the SSC to surgical wards in European Region -in terms of utilization and effectiveness. We analyzed substantial articles on implementation and challenges of surgical checklist in European centres from period 2008-2017. Within 308 articles of PubMED database, 8 substantial articles on utilization and effectiveness of SSC were identified and reviewed. 50% of research was performed in Central Europe. 75% of articles measured the effectiveness with one method, either documents/checklist evaluation or questionnaires among health care professionals. Presented research showed significant changes in patient safety, decrease in post-surgical complications and mortality rates. The utilization of the checklist did not reach the ideal 100% in all procedures, ranging between 55-95%, with maximum compliance of 80% of all items. Main challenges in completion and participation of professionals in the studies were lack of training and audit options, as well as limited financial resources towards ensuring patient safety in surgical wards. Despite 10 years of introduction to the surgical field, the data on utilization and effectiveness of SSC is still insufficient among countries of the European region. Potential ways of improvement, such as training, monitoring and financial resources could result in further reduction of complication rates and mortality.