Safe Surgery Saves Lives Checklist (SSSL) - Public Reporting Calendar:

What is a surgical safety checklist?
 
Patient safety remains the most important priority for Lake of the Woods District Hospital, and this involves ensuring a safe experience for patients who undergo surgery here. Our patients can expect safe, high quality care, and one tool we use to help ensure a positive patient care experience is a surgical safety checklist.
 
A surgical safety checklist is a patient safety communication tool that is used by our team of operating room professionals (nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and others) to discuss important details about each surgical case. In many ways, the surgical checklist is similar to an airline pilot’s checklist used just before take-off. It is a final check prior to surgery used to make sure everyone knows the important medical information they need to know about the patient, all equipment is available and in working order, and everyone is ready to proceed.
 
Essentially, the checklist is about improving overall teamwork – a critical factor in producing positive clinical outcomes. There is a lot of work being done in Ontario right now to improve patient safety, and the surgical safety checklist is one component.
Lake of the Woods Reporting Data on use of the Surgical Safety Checklist
2010 Checklist
Use Reporting Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
                         
# of Surgical Cases Reported N/A N/A N/A 175 225 199 630 170 212 160
# of Cases SSSL Checklist Used       175 225 199 630 170 212 160
% Compliance       100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
              Next Reporting Period July To Dec
 
2011 Checklist
Use Reporting Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
                         
# of Surgical Cases Reported 222 165 199 250 225 188  226  163  225  177  255  178
# of Cases SSSL Checklist Used  222  165  199 250 225 188  226  163  225  177 255  178
% Compliance  100%   100%  100%   100%  100% 100% 100%  100% 100%  100% 100% 100%
                         
2012 Checklist
Use Reporting Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
                         
# of Surgical Cases Reported 215 204 216 193 230 202 232 145 205 217 210 132
# of Cases SSSL Checklist Used 215 204 216 194 231 203 232 145 205 217 210 131
% Compliance 100% 100% 100% 99% 99% 99%  100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99%
                         
2013 Checklist
Use Reporting Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
                         
# of Surgical Cases Reported 241 187 213 218 204 160 257 222 189 213 180 171
# of Cases SSSL Checklist Used 240 187 213 217 204 160 257 222 189 213 180 171
% Compliance 99.5% 100% 100% 99.5% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
                         
Explanation of content of Safe Surgery Saves Lives Checklist and method of calculations
 
          DESCRIPTION OF REPORT
 
 
“The percentage of surgeries in which a Surgical Safety Checklist was performed”                                                   Public Hospitals Act Section 22.2 Regulation 965                                                                                                                                            
                                                                               “Patient safety indicators disclosure”
      
         METHOD OF CALCULATION:
                      (Number of Times ALL 3 PHASES of the SSCL was performed X 100)
                                          Total number of surgeries per month
                                                            = % COMPLIANCE   
 
DEFINITION OF A COMPLETED SURGICAL SAFETY CHECKLIST
 
 
“The SSCL is considered performed when the checklist coordinator confirms that surgical team members have implemented and /or addressed all the necessary tasks and items of the checklist IN EACH OF THE THREE PHASES “Briefing / Time Out / Debriefing”
 
DEFINITION OF EACH PHASE
 
Briefing:      Before anesthesia is administered
Time out:     Before commencing surgery
Debriefing:   Before leaving the operating room
 
WHAT INFORMATION IS INCLUDED IN EACH PHASE:
 
Some examples of items contained in the checklist:
 
The Briefing Phase:
• Verify with patient name and procedure to be done
• Allergy Check
• Medications Check
• Operation site, side and procedure
• Lab tests, xrays
* Blood type and availability
* Confirmation of special equipment required for the surgery
 
The “Time Out” Phase:
Last “double check” to ensure correct site of surgery
• Patient position
• Operation site and side and procedure
• Antibiotics check
 
The Debriefing Phase:
• Surgeon reviews important items
• Anesthesiologist reviews important items
• Nurse reviews correct counts
* Patient’s recovery plan evident to all involved.
 
 
WHERE CAN THE PUBLIC ACCESS THIS INFORMATION FOR THE PROVINCE:
 
 
Each Ontario hospital will have this information available on their hospital website
In addition, the MOHLTC will also report the same information on its website www.ontario.ca/patientsafety