This is your opportunity to join other surgical teams in your area to find out about the safe surgery programme’s impact to date and share your experience of the teamwork and communication interventions. We are very fortunate to have Professor William Berry join us to discuss the latest South Carolina research and the future focus of patient safety in theatres.

Professor Berry will be the guest speaker at each symposium. Bill has co-authored a number of articles with Atul Gawande and has been an advisor to the Safe Surgery programme from the beginning.

A new paper co-authored by Bill, suggests that, completely separate from the specifics of the Checklist, the culture and environment in which we work in the operating room is associated with better outcomes for the patients who pass through it. Published in the Annals of Surgery in October 2017, this study of 31 South Carolina hospitals found hospital-level all-cause 30-day postoperative death rates were associated with staff perceptions of the safety of surgical practice at those hospitals, as ascertained by the surgical safety culture survey instrument developed by the Harvard School of Public Health. The study authors, including Atul Gawande, William Berry and Alex Haynes, write that their findings “support the notion that the perception of safety of surgical practice amongst OR staff may be predictive of postoperative death rates.”

All half-day forums will run 1-4pm, followed by a networking opportunity until 5pm. Light snacks will be provided and a cash bar will be available.

View the event flyer here.

For details on registration, please click the learn more link below.