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 the surgical briefing awareness day held in June 2019 click here.

What is a briefing?

Publications

Videos

Speaking up / actively listening for patient safety

These animated videos talk about the importance of speaking up and actively listening for patient safety.

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.