Original Research Article
Year: 2021 | Month: December | Volume: 11 | Issue: 12 | Pages: 31-41
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20211205
The influence of Occupation and Teamwork on the Successful Use of the WHO Surgical Checklist: Experiences of Swedish Healthcare Professionals
Krupic F1, 2
1Department of Anaesthesiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
2Department of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Corresponding Author: Krupic F.
ABSTRACT
Background: Every year, some 300 million operations are performed around the world, with approximately 700,000 in Sweden. This represents about one surgical procedure per 25 people. All these operations are not free of risk. The safety of patients can be enhanced by teamwork, good communication and checklists ensuring adherence to safety routines. The aim of the present study was to describe the experience of Swedish healthcare professionals of using the WHO surgical checklist, with special emphasis on different occupations and teamwork.
Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional statistical study, including healthcare professionals from two departments at a university hospital in the western part of Sweden, was conducted.
Data were collected from one hundred and ninety-six healthcare professionals, using a self-administered questionnaire that contained 12 questions. The Mantel-Haenszel and Pearson χ2 tests were used for ordered and unordered categorical variables.
Results: One hundred and ninety-six healthcare professionals, aged 21-73, and 6 different categories with 5-25 years experiences participated. Regarding the usage of the checklist at different departments, the biggest different was about responsibility to implementation of the checklist (p=0,001), using the checklist in the emergency situations (p=0.04), if the checklist improve patient’s safety (p=0.04), and if the list has been completed correctly (p=0,006). Regarding the training for using the checklist, anaesthetist nurses were most negative with 75,5%, and the operating nurses were most positive with 39.2 %. 66,0 % of nurse anaesthetists, the checklist was adapted to the department. Majority of all the occupations thought that the checklist improved patients safety, and that the checklist had been correctly completed.
Conclusion: Different departments and different occupations experience difficulties using the checklist in the Swedish healthcare system. More research is needed to investigate the experiences of healthcare professionals, whether different occupations report differently about using the checklist and whether teamwork is influenced by using the checklist. A further understanding of the checklist and its importance, as well as its content, could increase the safety of patients due to improved compliance.
Key words: WHO checklist, surgery, occupation, teamwork questionnaire, research .