Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Checklists have been used extensively as a cognitive aid in aviation; now, they are being introduced in many areas of medicine. Although few would dispute the positive effects of checklists, little is known about the process of intro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2010-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/10/342 |
| _version_ | 1818515191494606848 |
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| author | Heltne Jon-Kenneth Brattebø Guttorm Thomassen Øyvind Søfteland Eirik Espeland Ansgar |
| author_facet | Heltne Jon-Kenneth Brattebø Guttorm Thomassen Øyvind Søfteland Eirik Espeland Ansgar |
| author_sort | Heltne Jon-Kenneth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Checklists have been used extensively as a cognitive aid in aviation; now, they are being introduced in many areas of medicine. Although few would dispute the positive effects of checklists, little is known about the process of introducing this tool into the health care environment. In 2008, a pre-induction checklist was implemented in our anaesthetic department; in this study, we explored the nurses' and physicians' acceptance and experiences with this checklist.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Focus group interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of checklist users (nurses and physicians) from the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care in a tertiary teaching hospital. The interviews were analysed qualitatively using systematic text condensation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Users reported that checklist use could divert attention away from the patient and that it influenced workflow and doctor-nurse cooperation. They described senior consultants as both sceptical and supportive; a head physician with a positive attitude was considered crucial for successful implementation. The checklist improved confidence in unfamiliar contexts and was used in some situations for which it was not intended. It also revealed insufficient equipment standardisation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings suggest several issues and actions that may be important to consider during checklist use and implementation.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T00:25:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f0d3f82ee1747678039326406e5e914 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T00:25:52Z |
| publishDate | 2010-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f0d3f82ee1747678039326406e5e9142022-12-22T01:27:32ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632010-12-0110134210.1186/1472-6963-10-342Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiencesHeltne Jon-KennethBrattebø GuttormThomassen ØyvindSøfteland EirikEspeland Ansgar<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Checklists have been used extensively as a cognitive aid in aviation; now, they are being introduced in many areas of medicine. Although few would dispute the positive effects of checklists, little is known about the process of introducing this tool into the health care environment. In 2008, a pre-induction checklist was implemented in our anaesthetic department; in this study, we explored the nurses' and physicians' acceptance and experiences with this checklist.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Focus group interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of checklist users (nurses and physicians) from the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care in a tertiary teaching hospital. The interviews were analysed qualitatively using systematic text condensation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Users reported that checklist use could divert attention away from the patient and that it influenced workflow and doctor-nurse cooperation. They described senior consultants as both sceptical and supportive; a head physician with a positive attitude was considered crucial for successful implementation. The checklist improved confidence in unfamiliar contexts and was used in some situations for which it was not intended. It also revealed insufficient equipment standardisation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings suggest several issues and actions that may be important to consider during checklist use and implementation.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/10/342 |
| spellingShingle | Heltne Jon-Kenneth Brattebø Guttorm Thomassen Øyvind Søfteland Eirik Espeland Ansgar Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences BMC Health Services Research |
| title | Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences |
| title_full | Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences |
| title_fullStr | Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences |
| title_short | Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences |
| title_sort | checklists in the operating room help or hurdle a qualitative study on health workers experiences |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/10/342 |
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