Surgical care has been an essential component of health care worldwide for over a century. As the incidence of traumatic injuries, cancers and cardiovascular disease continues to rise, the impact of surgical intervention on public health systems is growing. Approximately 234 million interventions are now performed every year, representing one intervention for every 25 people on earth. In the United Kingdom this equates to a ratio of one operation for every eight people (WHO 2008a).
DellingerE.P.2007Prophylactic antibiotics: administration and timing before operation are more important than administration after operationClinical Infectious Diseases44 7 928–30
2.
LangleyJ., NolanK., NolanT., NormanC., ProvostL.2006The Improvement GuideSan Francisco CA, Jossey Bass
3.
LingardL., EspinS., WhyteS.2005Getting teams to talk: development and pilot implementation of a checklist to promote interprofessional communication in the ORQuality and Safety in Health Care14(5) 340–346
4.
LingardL., RegehrG., OrserB.2008Evaluation of a preoperative checklist and team briefing among surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists to reduce failures in communicationArchives of Surgery143(1) 12–7 discussion 18
5.
MakaryM., MukherjeeA., SextonB.2007Operating room briefings and wrong-site surgeryJournal of American College of Surgeons204(2) 236–243
ReasonJ.1992Human ErrorCambridge, Mass, Cambridge University Press
12.
ReasonJ.1995Understanding adverse events: human factorsQuality and Safety in Health Care4(2) 80–89
13.
VincentC., NealeG., WoloshynowychM.2001Adverse events in British hospitals: preliminary retrospective record reviewBritish Medical Journal322517–9
14.
WalkerI., WilsonI.2008Anaesthesia in developing countries—a risk for patientsThe Lancet371(9617) 968–969
15.
WeiserT., RegengogenS., ThompsonK.2008An estimation of the global volume of surgery: a modelling strategy based on available dataThe Lancet372(9633) 139–144
16.
World Health Organisation2008a Checklists save livesWHO Bulletin86(7) 497–576
