Study Suggest Checklists Are Key to Reducing Patient Death According To New England Journal of Medicine

A recent New England Journal of Medicine article pointed out that when surgical teams use a checklist with simple steps, the average patient death rate fell more than 40%. Checklists are a key to workers’ compensation cost containment also because they hold people accountable and remind them of basic but important procedures and steps that can be easily overlooked.

Some items on the checklist used by the surgical teams were:
1-Doctors and nurses should introduce themselves.
2-Ask the patient their name.
3- Ask what procedure the patient is having.
4-Ask what medication the patient is allergic to.
5-Ask nursing staff if all equipment is present.
6-Ask nursing staff if equipment has all be sterilized.
7-Confirm the patient has been given antibiotics BEFORE surgery.

The researchers mentioned that the improvement was probably not due to any one or two items on the checklist but from a combination of factors. The change in procedure probably brought about a new awareness and improved safety behavior. The fact that the surgical teams knew they were being studied probably also kept them on their toes.

Having an organized system and paying attention to details is what a cost containment program is about; more closely managing the processes. It doesn’t have to be a huge sophisticated program as even the simplest changes can make a huge difference. This rationale applies to workers’ compensation cost containment as well as to other protocol because it requires increased vigilance for everything from post injury procedures to how to work with your TPA.

To read the complete article go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/health/20surgery.html

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel or other professionals before implementing any cost containment programs.