Surgical briefing toolkit 2019

Spend five to save lives

Surgical briefing resource toolkit

The following resources highlight the evidence for undertaking briefings, the benefits, and how-to undertake a start-of-list briefing. You will also find promotional resources, such as posters, to use as a prompt within your hospital. To read more about surgical briefing awareness day held in June 2019 click here.

What is a briefing?

Publications

Videos

Counties Manukau Health safe surgery posters

Two methods used by Counties Manukau Health to make sure the start-of-list briefing and surgical safety checklist are used correctly.

The rules are simple:

1. The consultant must be at the start-of-list briefing at 7:30am – doing operations is our core business.
2. Introductions – names and roles need to be written on the whiteboard all day.
3. A huddle takes place at 8:10am.
4. Never start briefings early, never start briefings late.

The main thing is to break down barriers so that everyone helps the surgeon to not make a mistake.

A change process used to implement the surgical checklist was:

1. have a good idea
2. find a natural leader
3. educate
4. reward good behaviour
5. ignore dinosaurs.

Start-of-list and surgical safety checklist posters from Counties Manukau Health

Evidence for briefings

Evidence for the use of briefings can be found in the Health Quality & Safety Commission’s publication: Checklists, briefings and debriefings: An evidence summary. 

How to undertake a briefing

Watch a short video of Professor Ian Civil leading a briefing.