Postoperative Checklist for Hospital Care

Complications are a common and accepted risk of surgery. Failure to optimize the management of patients who suffer postoperative morbidity may result in poorer surgical outcomes. Checklist use resulted in significantly improved standardization, evidence-based management of postoperative complications, and quality of ward rounds. Simulation-based piloting aided appropriate use of checklists and staff engagement. Checklists represent a low-cost intervention to reduce rates of failure to rescue and to improve patient care.