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Checklists in Surgery

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Difficult Decisions in Colorectal Surgery

Part of the book series: Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach ((DDSURGERY))

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Abstract

Nearly two decades have passed since the publication of To Err is Human [1], and there has been considerable subsequent interest in research and interventions to describe and prevent health care associated injuries and improve patient outcomes. The WHO launched its “Safe Surgery Saves Lives” campaign in 2008 as a means to prevent unnecessary mortality and improve outcomes for surgical patients [2]. This program resulted in the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) [3], which has been widely considered successful in reducing the rates of perioperative complications and mortality. Use of the WHO and similar checklists has now become widespread. However, not all investigations have confirmed their utility and checklists have certainly met some resistance wherever implemented. The purpose of this chapter is to (1) summarize the current body of literature describing the use of surgical checklists and (2) offer expert opinion as to what role checklists may serve for the practicing colorectal surgeon.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Baylor Scott & White Healthcare, Scott & White Memorial Hospital, Temple, TX, USA

    Eric A. Sparks MD

  2. Department of Surgery, Baylor Scott & White Healthcare, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Memorial Hospital, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX, 76508, USA

    Harry T. Papaconstantinou MD

Authors
  1. Eric A. Sparks MD
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  2. Harry T. Papaconstantinou MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harry T. Papaconstantinou MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Neil Hyman

  2. Medical Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Konstantin Umanskiy

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Sparks, E.A., Papaconstantinou, H.T. (2017). Checklists in Surgery. In: Hyman, N., Umanskiy, K. (eds) Difficult Decisions in Colorectal Surgery. Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40223-9_40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40223-9_40

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40222-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40223-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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