Journal of perioperative practice
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Of the more than 230 million patients who undergo surgery each year, 7 million suffer a disabling complication, and one million die (Weiser 2008). These numbers are substantial, and through the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, the issues surrounding safe surgery are at last receiving attention on the international stage.
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The advancement of surgical technology has made surgery an increasingly suitable management option for an increasing number of medical conditions. Yet there is also a growing concern about the number of patients coming to harm as a result of surgery. ⋯ This article discusses the extent of adverse events in surgery and how effective teamwork and communication can improve patient safety. It also highlights the role checklists and briefing in improving teamwork and reducing human error in surgery.
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Surgical care has been an essential component of health care worldwide for over a century. As the incidence of traumatic injuries, cancers and cardiovascular disease continues to rise, the impact of surgical intervention on public health systems is growing. Approximately 234 million interventions are now performed every year, representing one intervention for every 25 people on earth. In the United Kingdom this equates to a ratio of one operation for every eight people (WHO 2008a).
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Research from the United States which explores events related to the surgical count has identified that there are opportunities to review our practice in order to reduce risks to surgical patients. The Safe Surgery Saves Lives Campaign highlights this aspect of perioperative patient safety, ensuring that poor processes and poor communication, often the reasons for retained surgical items, become part of the team 'sign-out' at the end of every operation.
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latrogenic harm is a major problem in healthcare, and incident reporting is one of various methods of identifying areas for improvement in patient safety. The World Health Organisation has introduced a three-phase checklist to reduce error and improve teamwork and communication during surgery. Use of this checklist has been shown to reduce harm. Incident reporting will be invaluable in monitoring its effectiveness and identifying areas for refinement.