What is the main purpose of the WHO surgical safety checklist used in NHS theatres?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Reducing wrong-site surgery, retained items and avoidable harm
- Step 1: The checklist includes sign in, time out and sign out.
- Step 2: It confirms identity, procedure, site, allergies and counts to cut avoidable errors.
Answer
Reducing wrong-site surgery, retained items and avoidable harm.
Why not the others: Confirming that the patient's insurance and billing details have been completed: Billing is not covered in the NHS checklist. Verifying hospital car-park capacity and theatre cleaning schedules before lists begin: Car parking and cleaning are not part of the patient safety checklist. Auditing each surgeon's operative time against national league tables each week: The checklist is not a performance league table.
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