Surgical Safety Implementation Checklist

15 items · Health · Medium difficulty · 30 min

Quick surgical safety checklist to reduce errors and improve team communication.

• Confirm patient identity and planned procedure

  Use two identifiers, like full name and date of birth.

• Verify informed consent is present and matches the procedure

  Ensure consent covers the exact operation and side if applicable.

• Mark the surgical site with the patient involved when possible

  Use a clear, permanent mark and confirm laterality with the patient.

• Hold a team briefing to introduce members and review critical steps

  Assign a leader and discuss roles, timing, and potential concerns.

• Prepare the operating room and equipment

  Set up a clean, organized workspace before the patient enters.

• Check anaesthesia machine, monitors, and airway equipment

  Power up devices, check alarms, and confirm oxygen supply.

• Confirm sterilization of instruments and availability of disposables

  Verify sterilization indicators and expiration dates.

• Set up and verify instrument and sponge counting system

  Assign counting responsibilities and document expected totals.

• Review patient allergies, current medications, and comorbidities

  Note anticoagulants, insulin, or other medicines that affect care.

• Confirm availability of blood products and required imaging or labs

  Arrange rapid access to blood or tests if significant loss or issues expected.

• Administer prophylactic antibiotics within the recommended timeframe

  Give and record antibiotics within 60 minutes before incision when indicated.

• Follow infection prevention practices: hand hygiene and sterile technique

  Perform proper hand hygiene and maintain a sterile field throughout the case.

• Perform sign-out before the patient leaves the operating room

  Confirm procedure, instrument counts, specimen labels, and immediate concerns.

• Arrange postoperative monitoring, pain control, and recovery plan

  Ensure staff know the monitoring needs and any special instructions.

• Document checklist completion and communicate handover to the receiving team

  Record time, participants, and any unresolved issues in the patient record.

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