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. 2024 May 21;16(5):e60775.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.60775. eCollection 2024 May.

Role of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in Reducing Morbidity and Mortality Among Obstetrics and Gynecology Patients Undergoing Surgery: A Prospective Comparative Study

Amrita Amrita  1 , Jaya Kumari  1 , Archana Sinha  1 , Akanksha Singh  1 , Neeru Goel  1 , Poonam Poonam  1 , Mumtaz Hussain  2
Affiliations

Role of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in Reducing Morbidity and Mortality Among Obstetrics and Gynecology Patients Undergoing Surgery: A Prospective Comparative Study

Amrita Amrita et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: As surgery is an essential aspect of healthcare around the globe, it is necessary to consider complications related to it. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the impact of the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (WHO SSC) on reducing the incidence of postoperative complications Methods: This single-center, prospective, comparative study was conducted at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in a government hospital in Patna, Bihar. To assess the efficacy of the WHO SSC, the patients were divided into two groups, in which one group undergoing surgery was assessed with the checklist, and the other group was not. The rates of surgery-related complications were then compared in both groups.

Results: Our results showed a reduction in surgery-related complications in patients assessed with the WHO SSC. No statistically significant difference in duration of surgery was found between the groups. However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the rates of surgery-related complications between groups, especially in sepsis (p=0.0009), hemorrhage (p<0.0001), and infection at the site of surgery (p<0.0001). Mortality rates were not affected by the use of the SSC.

Conclusion: The WHO SSC is a simple yet effective tool for reducing postoperative complications by improving communication between the various team members working in the operation theatre, although it has no effect on reducing mortality. Further research is needed to enhance its successful implementation and ensure its sustained use.

Keywords: gynecology; obstetrics; patient safety; postoperative complications; sepsis; surgery-related complications; surgical site infection; world health organization surgical safety checklist.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. WHO Surgical Safety Checklist
Image Source: WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery 2009 [11]. Reproduced with permission from the World Health Organization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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