Surgical complications are common but often preventable. Hospitals throughout the U.S. have committed to address this problem by testing the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist, a one-page tool that itemizes essential safety steps surgical teams should perform at three key stages of surgery: before administering anesthesia, before skin incision, and before the patient leaves the operating room.

IHI has challenged every hospital in the U.S. to test the Checklist at least one time with one operating team by April 1, 2009. On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, IHI will host a Surgical Checklist 'Sprint Action Day,' an opportunity for hospitals across the country to learn about the benefits of the Checklist and to receive guidance from experts on testing and implementing the tool.

An interactive map is steadily being populated with the names and locations of hospitals that have tested or plan to test the Checklist.

About IHI

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is an independent not-for-profit organization helping to lead the improvement of health care throughout the world. Founded in 1991 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, IHI works to accelerate improvement by building the will for change, cultivating promising concepts for improving patient care, and helping health care systems put those ideas into action.

http://www.IHI.org