BU academic helps promote surgical safety

30 June 2008

A BU health care expert is helping to improve the safety of patients undergoing hospital surgery.

Senior BU Academic Jane Reid has joined a team of international health care experts to launch a new initiative to ensure safe surgery in hospitals throughout the world.

The initiative began in September 2006 and has seen more than 200 national and international medical societies and ministries of health working together to reduce avoidable deaths and complications in surgical care.

Run by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system – it aims to raise UK participation of the new ‘safety checklist’ for surgical teams.

Reid is an Associate Dean from the School of Health & Social Care and President of the Association for Perioperative Practice. This week, she joined surgeon and Health Minister Lord Darzi at the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to identify a set of surgical safety standards that can be applied in all countries and health settings.

She said: “We want to make sure surgical safety is everyone's highest priority, and include practical suggestions to achieve just that.

“The Association for Perioperative Practice represents all those working in operating theatres, so we particularly welcome the emphasis on encouraging a culture of safety embracing the whole surgical team.”

The NPSA has supported the WHO initiative and is working with key organisations representing surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses to take forward work in the UK.

Lord Darzi was involved in the development of the WHO checklist and also led the UK pilot for the initiative at St Mary’s Hospital, part of the newly formed Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

He said: “I feel confident that the introduction of the surgical safety checklist will improve the safety of patients who undergo surgery in the UK. Our pilot study in the UK and the seven other pilot sites worldwide indicate that the checklist will improve standards of care.”

Between October 2006 and September 2007 the NPSA received over 128,000 reports of patient safety incidents from surgical specialities. These incidents vary hugely, from incorrect treatment or procedure to misplaced patient notes.