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Does use of a W orld H ealth O rganization obstetric safe surgery checklist improve communication between obstetricians and anaesthetists? A retrospective study of 389 caesarean sections
Author(s) -
Mohammed A,
Wu J,
Biggs T,
OfiliYebovi D,
Cox M,
Pacquette S,
Duffy S
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0528.12041
Subject(s) - caesarean section , medicine , checklist , grading (engineering) , audit , obstetrics , retrospective cohort study , perioperative , gynecology , pregnancy , surgery , psychology , genetics , civil engineering , management , engineering , economics , cognitive psychology , biology
We evaluated the impact of the W orld H ealth O rganization O bstetric S afe S urgery C hecklist ( WHO C hecklist) on perioperative communication between anaesthetists and obstetricians by performing a retrospective audit in a T eaching hospital in London, UK . Caesarean section births from F ebruary to M arch 2009 and A pril to M ay 2011 were studied. Caesarean section notes from obstetricians and anaesthetists managing the same woman during the study period were reviewed. Grading differences between obstetricians and anaesthetists before and after checklist introduction were evaluated. Communication failure (where obstetricians and anaesthetists had documented different caesarean section grades [level of urgency]) and good communication (where obstetricians and anaesthetists had documented the same caesarean section grade) were observed. In total, 195 caesarean sections before introduction of the WHO safe surgery checklist and 194 caesarean sections after checklist introduction were studied. Grading differences occurred in 24.1% of caesarean sections without checklists compared with 10.3% with checklists ( P < 0.001). During emergency caesarean section alone, grading differences between obstetricians and anaesthetists were smaller, although this was not significant ( P = 0.222). We conclude that implementation of a WHO Obstetric Safe Surgery checklist improves the communication of caesarean section grade (urgency) between obstetricians and anaesthetists.