Implications for practice and research

• The use of checklists improved the management of postoperative complications by providing a standardised, evidence-based approach to clinical scenarios. They also improved communication and teamwork within multidisciplinary teams.

• As these improvements were observed in a simulated environment, clinical implementation studies are required to validate the results.

Context

The postoperative phase of gastrointestinal surgery is fraught with complications, with significantly high morbidity rates. The management of these complications is extremely variable, being affected by a number of factors such as time constraints, staffing and adherence to best-practice guidelines. Checklists have successfully been introduced into other areas of …