Safe Surgery Implementation Checklist

14 items · Health · Medium difficulty · 30 min

Quick, practical steps to make surgery safer for patients and teams.

• Verify patient identity and surgical site

  Confirm wristband, full name, DOB, and the planned site with the patient or records.

• Confirm informed consent and planned procedure

  Ensure written consent matches the procedure and any planned side or implant.

• Review medical history, medications, and allergies

  Note anticoagulants, chronic conditions, and drug or latex allergies.

• Confirm fasting status and airway/aspiration risk

  Ask time of last food or drink and flag any difficult airway concerns.

• Administer prophylactic antibiotics when indicated

  Give the recommended antibiotic within 60 minutes before incision if required.

• Ensure required imaging and test results are available

  Verify that films, lab reports, and blood crossmatches are in the chart or on screen.

• Prepare instruments, implants, and sterile supplies
• Arrange implants and specialty equipment

  Place implants, prostheses, or device kits ready and check expiration dates.

• Perform instrument and sponge count before incision and at closure

  Record counts and resolve any discrepancies immediately.

• Confirm anesthesia setup and patient monitoring are ready

  Check ventilator, IV access, monitoring leads, and emergency drugs.

• Mark the surgical site and confirm laterality with the team

  Use a visible mark and verbal confirmation to prevent wrong-site surgery.

• Conduct a team time-out immediately before incision

  Have all team members state patient, procedure, site, and any concerns aloud.

• Monitor patient temperature, fluids, and blood loss during the case

  Record trends and intervene for hypothermia or excessive bleeding.

• Complete sign-out: confirm counts, label specimens, and give postoperative plan

  Ensure recovery team receives handover and document any issues or complications.

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