Massachusetts General Hospital

Hospital pilot sites demonstrate surgical safety checklist drops deaths and complications by more than one third

Dramatic Findings Spur Effort at Rapid Implementation in Most American Hospitals; Nationwide Programs Already Established in Four Countries

14/Jan/2009

A group of hospitals in eight cities around the globe has successfully demonstrated that the use of a simple surgical checklist during major operations can lower the incidence of deaths and complications by more than one third. The year-long study was led by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and the results are published Online First on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 on the website of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Link to full HSPH news release.