Erik Steele, DO, chief medical officer of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, advocates for the use of a patient-driven checklist for safe hospital care in a two-part series in the Bangor Daily News.
Many healthcare providers are adopting patient safety checklists in order to prevent medical errors. However, they should also issue "co-pilot" checklists to the patients and their families so they can assist in preventing medical errors, Dr. Steele said.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
Some items Dr. Steele includes in his own checklist include ensuring no one enters the patient's room without washing their hands (including friends and family) and undergoing MRSA testing before elective heart surgery or joint replacement surgery.
The first article in the Bangor Daily News discusses the rationale for such a checklist.
The second column provides Dr. Steele's "Hospital Patient Co-Pilot Safety Checklist".
Related Articles on Safety Checklists:
Hand Hygiene Checklist: 5 Suggestions for Process Improvement
Infection Prevention Checklist for Outpatient Settings From CDC
