[The checklists: A help or a hassle?]

Abstract

Patient safety has become a central component of quality of care. One of the best known and most widely used security tool in all work settings is the checklist. The checklist is a tool that helps to not forget any step during the performance of a procedure, to do tasks with an established order, to control the fulfilment of a series of requirements or to collect data in a systematic way for its subsequent analysis. It is an aid to improve the efficiency of teamwork, promote communication, decrease variability, standardize care and improve patient safety. Main barriers to implementation are reviewed: staff attitudes, hierarchies, poor design, inadequate training, duplication with other work lists, work overload, cultural barriers, lack of replication or checklist closing time. Finally, its applications in Pediatrics are reviewed starting from the most widespread, the safety checklist of pediatric surgery, checklists in neonatal critical units, for safe delivery, for risk procedures, in pediatric intensive care and for pathology time-dependent emergent, e.g. pediatric trauma. It is necessary to highlight the role of leadership in the implantation of a checklist in any area of Pediatrics. There must be one or more people from the team with the support of the Heads of Service and Managers who lead the training of the personnel, direct the implementation of the LV, evaluate the results, inform the rest of the team and can modify the processes depending on the problems found.

Keywords: Barreras; Barriers; Checklist; Communication; Comunicación; Estandarización; Leadership; Liderazgo; Lista de verificación; Patient safety; Pediatrics; Pediatría; Procedimientos de riesgo; Risk procedures; Seguridad del paciente; Standardization.