By Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN

Ok, I will admit right off that I am a huge fan of Atul Gawande’s writing. I have read his books Better and Complications, and I think much of his work should be required reading for all health care students. I haven’t read his newest book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. I plan to soon, but it’s the 3^rd book down in the pile on my bedside stand.

That confession aside, there has been some recent news around the use of checklists that bears some attention. Dr. Gawande helped develop a two-minute checklist that is to be done prior to surgery. 

Dr. Peter Pronovost was involved in the development of a similar checklist related to the insertion of central lines. 

Airlines and airplane manufacturers, such as Boeing, use checklists constantly to ensure consistent, high quality outcomes. 

I did a quick Google search for “checklists and nursing” and found various references to skills and competency checklists. As a nurse, my skills have been observed and validated with checklists over the years. I have also been party to filling out checklists on myself and my peers. Come to think of it, much of our charting has been done by filling out checklists. 

I guess I am a bit surprised that the use of checklists to validate competencies and keep track […]