Compliance with WHO safe surgery checklist in operating rooms: A case study in Iran Hospitals

Background: Quality improvement in delivering healthcare services is the main mission of every health system. Safe surgery checklist was introduced by World Health Organization (WHO), and hospitals were required to use it to reduce the risk of surgery-related mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to determine study hospitals’ compliance with safe surgery checklist in 2016. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was done in training general hospitals affiliated by Qom University of Medical Sciences from April to June 2016. All surgery checklists in this period were collected, and its use regarding to each operation was mentioned. Data were entered into SPSS version 20 and analyzed through descriptive statistical tests and One-way ANOVA. Results: A total of 1771 surgeries in six university hospitals performed in three months study period and their related surgery checklists were investigated. The overall use and completion rate of checklists were 74%. Among which the sign-in, time-out, and sign-out items compliance were 58%, 16%, and 26% respectively. Conclusion: The overall compliance rate of safe surgery checklist was satisfactory except for time-out and sign-out processes. Complimentary training and regular assessment of checklist utilization could be suggested to ensure the positive attitude among operating room’s staff about the value of such a safety tool in improving patient safety.