Checklists for Your Hospital

The New York Times' interview of Dr Peter Pronovost was just emailed to me. He is a US anesthetist (John Hopkins Hospital) who has done remarkable work both as researcher and activist for patient safety. He is perhaps most famous for having drastically reduced the rates of central venous catheter infections in both his own institution as well as participating hospitals in the state of Michigan via a simple checklist (and not some fancy expensive drug-coated catheter or futuristic robotic insertion technique).

The final part of the interview is particularly interesting. When asked how patients could protect themselves from hospital errors, he mentioned that patients should have a clear idea of the hospital's infection rate. If this was high or the hospital did not track its infection rate, the patient should go elsewhere. Patients should also be their own advocates and ask if healthcare staff have washed their hands, or if their venous catheters were necessary. These last bits are very tough for local patients (or their relatives), but I have worked in public hospitals in Singapore - and these conversations are necessary to move things forward.