LiveData Statement on World Health Organization Study Concluding That OR Checklist Improves Team Communications, Save Lives

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As media around the world are reporting today, a World Health Organization (WHO) study, headed by Dr. Atul Gawande of Harvard, concludes that a checklist designed to improve team communication and consistency of care reduces complications and deaths associated with surgery. Analyzing more than 7,500 comparable surgeries and other clinical procedures, divided almost evenly among those with and without such checklists, the study showed that checklists decreased in-hospital deaths by almost half and other complications by more than one-third.

"No longer just sensible conjecture, there is now data to prove the claim that checklists save lives," said LiveData CEO Jeffrey Robbins in a statement. Not surprisingly, leading-edge hospitals like Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts General Hospital are turning to LiveData (www.LiveData.com) and its OR-Dashboard to automate and effectively put the WHO checklist into practice. "Hospitals using OR-Dashboard don't need a hands-on study team; using OR-Dashboard, they have already institutionalized the requirements," said Robbins.

The WHO study, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and just published in the New England Journal of Medicine, in effect validates the fundamental premise of LiveData’s approach, because LiveData automates the checklist. Installations using LiveData OR-Dashboard are experiencing the benefit of heightened checklist compliance, Robbins explained.

LiveData OR-Dashboard literally puts the instructions on the wall for all to see, but also (and more importantly), automatically gathers and collates all the information necessary for the OR team to perform the steps of the checklist, including communicating the critical details of the patient and the case. By using a large screen on the wall, LiveData OR-Dashboard additionally walks the team step-by-step through the checklist, ensuring complete adherence in each and every case.

The 19-point checklist is part of one large display that also includes patient information and data from instruments and physiological monitors. "As has already been seen at leading institutions, the WHO study will result in additional medical centers putting the checklist into effective and affordable practice, and save lives in the process," said Robbins.

Robbins noted that meanwhile, the Joint Commission's updated Universal Protocol, effective January 1, 2009, requires that hospitals meet an explicit set of expectations including pre-procedure verification, site marking, and time-out. "The WHO checklist, correctly implemented, provides a proven approach for hospitals to use to meet these Joint Commission expectations," according to Robbins.

About LiveData

LiveData is a leading innovator in real-time data integration and display technology. Our solutions gather data from any number of sources, coordinate it with team workflow, and present it as meaningful information on easy-to-read graphic displays. Leading medical institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, have selected LiveData OR-Dashboard to improve patient safety, team communication, and perioperative efficiency. Founded in 1991, LiveData is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.