Many professionals, such as airline pilots, have checklists available to help them with emergency life-and-death situations. These checklists are designed to make sure that all important steps are made and that lives are saved.
A new study published in the January 17, 2013 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found that similar checklists could help operating staff in an emergency. Specifically, the study found that surgical teams who used checklists rather than simply relying on their memory were almost 75% less likely to miss a step that could save a patient’s life. The study used advanced simulations of surgical crises to compile the data about the usefulness of checklists in this situation.
Life-Threatening Mistakes Decreased Significantly When Checklists Were Used
Researchers found that life-threatening mistakes could be reduced from 23% to 6% when checklists were used. Prior to this study, many experts believed that surgical checklists would be ineffective in an operating room crisis because of the large number of variables that could occur between patients. However, this study may refute that presumption and encourage the use of surgical checklists to prevent Kentucky medical error cases and medical malpractice cases throughout the country.
Contact a Kentucky Medical Malpractice Lawyer if You’ve Been Hurt
If you have been injured, or a loved one has been killed, then it is important to contact an experienced Kentucky medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. Our experienced lawyers welcome your call and would be pleased to provide you with a free consultation. Please contact us today at 800.634.8767 or 502.210.8942 for more information.