Surgical safety checklist trial Background: Post-surgical complications are an important cause of morbidity and mortality In 2008, the World Health Organization designed a surgical safety checklist to improve patient outcomes Question: What is the impact of the checklist on 30-day post-surgical morbidity and mortality in two Norwegian hospitals? WHO SSC Trial Summary

WHO SSC Trial Summary

Surgical safety checklist trial Design: stepped-wedge cluster randomized design Units of randomization: five surgical specialties WHO SSC Trial Summary

Surgical safety checklist trial Inclusion: All patients, elective or emergency surgery Control: Usual care Intervention: Adoption of the checklist Data: Routinely collected, anonymized patient data Compliance: Recorded by nurse anesthetists / nurses Outcome: 30-day post-surgical morbidity and mortality Ethics: REC approved trial, no patient consent required WHO SSC Trial Summary

Question for discussion Are there research participants? If so, who are they? Do surgeons have a duty to participate? From whom, if anyone, is informed consent required? WHO SSC Trial Summary

WHO SSC Trial Summary