Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Regarding World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) in Operating Room Personnel of Medical Teaching Institutes (MTIS) Peshawar Pakistan

Abstract

Background: World health organization surgical safety checklist is basically the guideline for the operating room personnel. These guidelines are properly started by WHO in 2007-8. The purpose was to improve the outcomes of the surgical procedures, communication, decline the mortality and morbidity ratio perioperatively. Using WHO checklist plays a very important significant role in patient safety especially in perioperative time. One study shows that about 47 % reduction occur in mortality and 36 % in morbidity while using the SSC. In the developed countries having proper safety system and knowledge complication rate was reported 0.4 to 0.8% while in the developing countries this ratio was about 3 to 16 % (2004 report). 

Objective: To Assess the knowledge and attitude regarding WHO SSC of operating room personnel of MTIs Khyber teaching hospital (KTH) and Hayat Abad medical complex (HMC) of Peshawar Pakistan.

Methods: Cross sectional study conducted. Data collected through semi structured questionnaire from operating room personnel including surgeons, anesthesia provider, surgical technician, technologist, and OT nurses working in MTI KTH and MTI HMC.

Results: According to the study about 30(14.6%) OT personnel having good knowledge,115(56%) having average and 60(29.2%) of personnel having poor knowledge regarding WHO SSC. The result of the attitude of OT personnel regarding safety checklist was 141(6.7%) positive means they agreed with WHO rules and want them to be implemented in the OT while 64 (31.2%) showed negative attitude.

Conclusion: Adverse events are common in the preoperative period. This is due to poor organizational, limited, knowledge respect less attitude of the staff toward their duty, and patient self-mistakes. But the great responsibility of the staff is to care for the patient in the proper while according to the rules and regulation set by the WHO in the form of surgical safety checklist. By using safety checklists properly, the adverse events can minimize up to a great number. For the best result the personnel must have proper knowledge, awareness, importance and need of practical implementation. By default, our health system is still going on previous knowledge base and not properly adjusted in the advanced system. In these two hospitals most of the HCPs are not aware of the importance of the WHO checklist and some are against the practical implementation of the checklist. This is an amazing and questionable point that can be overcome through education.