Comparison between the effect of a self-administered and a trainer-administered surgical checklist on the laparoscopic task performance

Aim: Surgical checklists are used to reduce errors, however, the best method of administering the checklists is still unknown. We aimed to compare the effects of trainee self-administered versus trainer-administered checklist on the laparoscopic task performance of novices.Method: We formulated a standardised checklist among master surgeons by consensus. Ten consented novices were randomised into 2 equal groups. Both groups performed double square knots in two separate stages (3 minutes per stage).Stage 1: no checklist applied by either groups. Stage 2: The study group with a trainee self-administered checklist and the control group with a trainer-administered checklist.The unedited video-recorded laparoscopic tasks were assessed by a blind assessor using the human reliability assessment technique. Non-parametric statistics were used for data analysis.Result: Unlike the control group, the study group showed highly significant improvement in the laparoscopic task performance as measured by the number of errors committed in stage 2 vs stage 1 (control group: 131 vs 106 errors, study group: 154 vs 84 errors, p<0.01).Conclusion: The trainee self-administered method of applying a surgical checklist had a significant accelerating effect on the acquisition of technical skills during a standardised lab-based laparoscopic task when compared to the trainer administered method