Checklist: Best Solution for Confusion from Shopping to Surgery

N. Raghuraman, Management Guru

When you start reading the next paragraph, make sure you read it again, because it is quite confusing. And if you read the entire article, you will understand why mistakes happen in life. Most of the mistakes happen not because we do not know, but because we are not able to apply our knowledge properly. Then what is the solution? Make a checklist. Now get ready for confusion, and there is a way to resolve it further.

Last month, Radhika Devi and Radhika Singh, unknown to each other, were admitted separately to the trauma center of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi at the same time. Radhika Devi was 71 years old and Radhika Singh was 82 years old. Radhika Devi was on bed number 29 in the neuro department. Radhika Singh was on bed number 17 in the orthopedic department. Radhika Devi had to undergo spinal tumor surgery, while Radhika Singh had to have hip replacement. The time of surgery for both was the same.

According to reports, on March 7, Devi was taken to the operation theater in place of Singh. After giving anesthesia, the surgical team started the operation of Devi. When the senior resident did not see the expected condition at the operation site, the team alerted the senior doctor. Meanwhile, the nursing staff informed that the wrong patient has come to the theatre.

The entire process was stopped and Devi was sent back without informing the family. He later underwent spinal tumor surgery on March 18 and died on March 28 due to complications. The lapse came to light when his grandson Mrityunjay Pal complained to the director of the Institute of Medical Sciences at BHU.

Since most of us are not medical professionals, let me take you to the grocery store. Imagine that your family decided to celebrate grandfather’s 90th birthday on Saturday. Your wife wants to make a cake. He gave you a grocery list which you had to bring when you returned from office on Friday evening. While you’re picking things off the shelf, your boss calls and yells at you for not completing the task. Complete it before sleeping. In anger and confusion you forget the flour. As a result, your wife will not be able to make the cake.

In both cases the information was there, but it was used incorrectly. Then what should we do? I remember reading Dr. Atul Gawande’s book ‘The Checklist Manifesto’ about two decades ago, in which Gawande gives a solution which has also been adopted by the American Medical Association. The author, a surgeon by profession, explains the checklist concept through extensive personal experience. He not only researched the effectiveness of the checklist in different areas, but also implemented it in hospitals.

They say that if some unusual incident happens, a person can forget even the work that he usually does. Secondly, we skip less important steps because nothing happened the last time we skipped them. One may say ‘this has never been a problem’, but what is the guarantee that there won’t be a next time?

Gawande says we can avoid such failures with something as simple as a checklist. It reminds us of the necessary steps and lays them out clearly. This not only makes verification possible, but also creates a sense of discipline for better performance.

The bottom line is that The next time you’re tackling a big task in your life or workplace, remember to make something small like a checklist and tick it off.

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