Key result
WHO Surgical Safety Checklist highlights global burden of ~1 million annual surgical deaths.
Why the study?
Surgical complications and mortality affect millions annually, highlighting the need for improved surgical safety measures internationally.
The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist brings international attention to the issues surrounding safe surgery and the high rates of surgical complications and mortality.
Highlights perioperative harm scale for clinicians; leaves open checklist efficacy pending higher-level trials.
Of the more than 230 million patients who undergo surgery each year, 7 million suffer a disabling complication, and one million die (Weiser 2008). These numbers are substantial, and through the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, the issues surrounding safe surgery are at last receiving attention on the international stage.
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Wilson et al. (2009) studied this question. The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist is drawing international attention to safe surgery issues, highlighting the annual global burden of 7 million disabling complications and 1 million deaths.
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