Humans Fail, Checklists Don’t

As Dr. Jeffrey B. Cooper so aptly wrote 23 years ago, “it is essential that the dangers of relief be recognized and that suitable precautions be taken to prevent errors.” Given that the Joint Commission has identified both failures in communication and human factors as key components that lie at the root of the majority of sentinel events, effective checklist development must incorporate both if we are to truly protect perioperative patients. The greatest challenge to the success of this kind of checklist will be the clinician's own resistance towards true and honest introspection. This commentary reviews the current state and import of communication failure and its role in patient safety as well as a methodology to reduce preventable harm when either initiating or assuming the anesthetic care of surgical patients by incorporating a comprehensive, human factors inclusive, anesthesiology specific checklist.