World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist with Addition of Infection Control Items: Intervention Study in Egypt

Arwa   M. Hosny El-Shafei; Sahar Yassin Ibrahim; Ayat  Mahmoud Tawfik; Shaimaa A. M. Abd El Fatah

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2019.593

Authors

Arwa M. Hosny El-Shafei Public Health, and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Sahar Yassin Ibrahim Public Health, and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Ayat Mahmoud Tawfik Public Health, and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Port-Said University, Port-Said, Egypt
Shaimaa A. M. Abd El Fatah Public Health, and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.593

Keywords:

Patient safety, Infection control, Operating room

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Surgical team is in command of the operating room (OR) and takes decisions regarding various patient care procedures. Educational programs directed to them, should be creative, provocative and tailored to their specific needs and the expected outcomes.

AIM: This study aims to design and conduct an educational program of patient safety and infection control for the OR team based on the WHO surgical safety checklist and to assess their post-intervention knowledge and practices.

METHODS: This interventional study was conducted at the ORs of Port-said general hospital. It passed through three stages; baseline assessment of knowledge and practice regarding patient safety and infection control among OR team (surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses), intervention stage in which an educational program based on the WHO surgical safety checklist with modifications and additions of more infection control items was conducted, then re-assessment of their post-intervention knowledge and practices.

RESULTS: All the studied participants showed improvement in both knowledge and practices of patient safety and infection control after the educational program based on the WHO surgical safety checklist with modifications and additions of more infection control items and including not only practices but also knowledge as well, than before.

CONCLUSION: The modification of the WHO surgical safety checklist to fit local knowledge and practices created a comprehensive tool that led to an improvement in both knowledge and practices of patient safety and infection control among the OR team.