A patient checklist — what a terrific idea!
Checklists are “in” right now. John’s Hopkins physician, Dr. Peter Pronovost focuses on checklists to reduce mistakes, reduce hospital-acquired infections, and improve patient safety in hospitals. Writer-physician Atul Gawande publicized checklists even more widely in his book, The Checklist Manifesto, describing more examples about how physicians can make small changes and realize dramatic results.
Now Elizabeth Bailey, after going through some dramatic aging-parent hospital experiences where quite a few mistakes were made, has published The Patient’s Checklist, a compilation of ten checklists to help patients and their families keep track of things that go right and help them be on the lookout for problems that may occur.
In New Book Offers Checklists to Hospital Patients, Kaiser Health News reporter Michelle Andrews writes much more about the checklists and and the aging parent patient history that inspired Bailey to write the book.
Hospitals are busy places, health communities that revere learning and good care. When a loved one is a patient in a hospital, checklists can provide additional structure, helping a family stay attuned to the issues that will ensure the fewest mistakes. Relatives and caregivers will need to figure out how to combine effectively the resources of the checklists with the institution’s commitment to care (even if problems do occur), setting the stage for healthy interaction and the best possible outcome for a loved one.
As Our Parents Age So Do We 
I recently had a patient suggest something like this to me, for our hospital. What a great idea!
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Just what I need to give to my children as I am going in for surgery.. Just in Time.. will buy this
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Thank you for the posting about my book, The Patient’s Checklist. My hope is that the book offers practical, intuitive, common sense advice to help patients and families navigate the always individual human experience of illness or injury within the very complex setting of any hospital. Hospitals are peopled by great nurses and doctors but hospital systems are often highly fragmented. Lack of coordination and continuity in care poses very real dangers for all patients – everyday. The frantic, impersonal pace can be dehumanizing and demoralizing – for patients as well as providers. I hope this book, with its simple, user-friendly format, will encourage patients ( and family and friends) to believe that they can and that they must play a critical, active role in partnering with their doctors and nurses during a medical crisis to get better, safer care.
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