Patient safety checklists help to make sure no procedural step is forgotten. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, checklists are theoretically sound and have contributed to advances in patient safety.

There are at least 5 benefits for adopting patient safety checklists:

1. Checklists provide a sense of confidence that you’ve taken all the right steps.
2. Checklists are effective at reducing medical mistakes.
3. Checklists reduce medical mistakes and lower litigation costs.
4. Checklists provide technical solutions for technical problems.
5. Checklists are free.

With the goal of improving patient safety and improving the quality of patient care, the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety brought together three panels of experts to develop:

The PCA Safety Checklist

The PCA Safety Checklist summarizes information about the characteristics of patients at higher risk for oversedation and respiratory depression

• Helps to ensure that patients have been appropriately educated about their pain management before using a (patient-controlled analgesia)PCA pump
• Reminds healthcare providers of potential red flags
• Makes sure the patient is electronically monitored with both pulse oximetry and capnography
• Provides guidance on assessment and pump settings verification at shift change

For the members of the PCA Safety Checklist Panel, please click here.

The OB VTE Safety Recommendations

The OB VTE Safety Recommendations provide four concise steps that:

• Assess patients for VTE risk with an easy to use automated scoring system
• Provide the recommended prophylaxis regimen, depending on whether the mother is antepartum or postpartum.
• Reassesses the patient every 24 hours or upon the occurrence of a significant event, like surgery.
• Ensures that the mother is provided appropriate VTE prevention education upon hospital discharge.

For the members of the OB VTE Safety Working Group, please click here.

The Stroke VTE Safety Recommendations

The Stroke VTE Safety Recommendations provide 4 key steps to help prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in stroke patients:

• Assess Patients With Stroke or Rule Out Stroke Diagnosis
• Prescribe Recommended Prophylaxis
• Reassess Patients for Venous Thromboembolism Risk
• Ensure Appropriate Discharge

For the healthcare experts on the Stroke VTE Working Group, please click here.