[One year implemention of the safe surgery checklist in France, what has been achieved so far, what could be improved?]

Abstract

Despite important advances accomplished during the last ten years, patient safety in the OR remains a subject high on everyone's priority list: healthcare professionals, organisations and of course, patients. In this setting, the French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de santé, HAS) conducted a study with the scientific societies of professionals working in the OR. This study resulted in the adaptation of a tool which has already demonstrated, in a convincing manner, its efficacy in reducing perioperative morbimortality: the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Surgical Safety Surgery" checklist. In order to promote its, HAS integrated this important tool for improving patient safety into the framework of its certification process of health care organisations beginning in January 1, 2010. Additionally, the organisations receive HAS certification are partners for the programme's promotion. One year after its institution, HAS is undertaking its first evaluation of the lessons and perspectives from the checklist's utilisation.