Post-surgical deaths in Scotland drop by a third, attributed to a checklist

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Deaths after surgery in Scotland have dropped by more than a third, research suggests. Dr Atul Gawande, who introduced the checklist and co-authored the study, published in the British Journal of Surgery, said: “Scotland’s health system is to be congratulated for a multi-year effort that has produced some of the largest population-wide reductions in surgical deaths ever documented.” Prof Jason Leitch, NHS Scotland’s national clinical director, added: “This is a significant study which highlights the reduction in surgical mortality over the last decade.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk