Summary
An easy holiday read with a serious message: check lists work- they let you concentrate on the skilled work without forgetting the routine tasks.
Atul Gawande is a surgeon who was tasked by the Wold Health Organisation (WHO) to find a way to dramatically improve medical safety with a very small budget. The Checklist Manifesto follows his story making and improving check lists with interesting case studies from aviation, construction and investment as well as medicine.
The result?
Trials in 8 hospitals (four in rich countries) showed a 47% reduction in deaths and 36% reduction in major complications.
Is this transferable?
It certainly is. There are 2 types of lists: those where you think you have completed the tasks, you pause with your team and check before continuing, and those where you work down the list - read then do. I have found check list invaluable from everything from month end procedures to what kit to take sailing. My experience (and the conclusion of the book) is that even though you may know a subject inside out, the list is vital since in concentrating on fixing problems, we can often miss routine steps without the discipline of a check list. Big extra bonus - the results of the trial also showed a strong improvement in team cohesion.
Worth the read?
Yes. 193 pages.
No comments:
Post a Comment