Enhancing Surgical Outcomes: Evaluating the Impact of Implementing the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist-A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background Globally, surgical care plays a vital role in health care. Unfortunately, complications arise in approximately 5 to 18% of surgical procedures. However, research has shown that following the surgical safety checklist provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) can significantly reduce these complications and surgery-related fatalities. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy and completion of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. Materials and Method From October 3, 2022 to February 28, 2023, a comprehensive observational study was conducted involving 300 patients who underwent elective and emergency surgeries. The completion rates for the different stages of surgery, namely sign-in, time-out, and sign-out, were determined using the SPSS 22.0 software. Result In our research, we specifically examined the completion of the checklist for 300 patients who underwent important procedures within a span of 5 months. For each patient, we ensured that their identities, procedures, and consent were verified with a 100% success rate. Additionally, we thoroughly checked the anesthesia equipment and drugs for safety in every case. Furthermore, all essential images were consistently displayed for each patient, achieving a 100% adherence to this crucial aspect of the process. Conclusion In general, the level of completeness of the checklist was satisfactory across the sign-in, time-out, and sign-out phases. While this study did not assess the specific outcomes, it is presumed that incomplete data may have exposed patients to potential perioperative complications.