| Purpose – The WHO Safety Surgical Checklist (SSC) has improved patient safety effectively. Despite the
known benefits of applying the checklist before surgery, its implementation is less than universal in practice.
The purpose of this paper is to determine the operating room personnel’s attitude, their awareness and
knowledge of the SSC, and to evaluate staff acceptance of the SSC (including personal beliefs).
Design/methodology/approach – This cross-sectional study was conducted in eight tertiary general
hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Some 145 operating room personnel (surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses) were
selected for the study. Data collection was carried out via a validated questionnaire in three parts which
included socio-demographic, attitude, awareness and acceptance. Data were then analysed using the
Kruskal–Wallis and χ2 statistical test.
Findings – Out of the 145 participants in the study, 92 per cent were aware of the existence of the SSC and
73.9 per cent of them were aware of the objectives of SSC. Overall, the attitude to SSC was positive.
The attitude of surgeons was positive towards the impact of the SSC on safety and teamwork. Surgeons were
significantly more sensitive to the barriers of SSC application compared to nurses and anaesthetists
( p ¼ 0.046). Among the three groups, nurses had the highest level of support for SSC ( p ¼ 0.001).
Practical implications – Despite high acceptance of the checklist among staff, there is still a gap in
knowledge about when exactly the checklist should be used. Therefore, involvement of all surgical team
members to complete the checklist process, support of senior managers, on-going education and training and
consideration of the barriers to its implementation are all key areas that need to be taken into account.
Originality/value – This is the first research to examine the operating room personnel’s attitude, awareness
and acceptance about SSC in Iranian hospitals. The outcomes of this study provide documentation and
possible justification for effective establishment of SSC in Iran and other countries. |