The
checklist
is
ten

January 15, 2020 -- This year, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the surgical checklist.

Pioneered by Dr. Pronovost and by Dr. Gawande, these checklists are, according to the New York Times in an article today entitled Where Surgeons Don't Bother With Checklists, "[in rich countries, the checklist is] used in 90 percent of surgeries... studies showed the checklist reduced deaths by 24 percent and major complications by 60 percent." The article decries the relatively poor outcomes in poor countries in which checklists are used less.

Even less-used in any country are nursing checklists. We have contended for nearly a decade that the quality and outcomes of nursing care, too, can and must be substantially improved through this simple technology.

Over ten thousand nurses have agreed with us and downloaded our app, NurseMind. It knows what we need to get done during our shifts and when each task is due. It makes sure none are omitted and all are on time.

Another such app was recently released, as announced on 12/17/2019 in Geneva, Switzerland -- UNITAR and partners launch new mobile application on WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. But it's for surgeons, not nurses.

Are we nurses to remain the second-class citizens of health care technology? Not according to Nurse Tech, Inc. We shall continue to advocate for the central role played by nurses in every aspect of health care, and for the technology that supports us.

As we have said so many times before, go nurses!

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