"The Checklist"-Gawande

Thankfully I don't visit the hospital very often, and I've never been to an Intensive Care Unit. The reading by Gawande gives the reader a peek inside what goes on in an ICU. I can only imagine how busy and stressful it must be for doctors and nurses. It's not had to understand how doctors could forget one specific part of a procedure when they need to work so quickly. It has always amazed me how doctors know so much information. They not only know the names of thousands of sicknesses but also names of the medical instruments and procedures. They also know what all these names mean and what to do in order to treat the problems. And all this information is in their heads because, in the ICU, if doctors took the time to look something up their patient may very have died in those few moments. So clearly it's not difficult to see how something could slip their mind.

I think checklists even for medical procedures is a great idea. I make lists all the time for tasks I need to get done, and it allows me to make sure I don't forget anything since everyone does forget things including doctors. Years and years of medical school cannot make someone's memory better; forgetfulness is just human nature.

The story about the little girl that fell into the ice cold pond and recovered due to the doctors' impeccable work is truly amazing. I was shocked that the human body could actually revive itself with the help of medical technology. It's fitting that the reader finds out that a checklist was used in this specific situation at the end of the reading. Gawande is trying to show that this little girl survived because of the checklist which may or may not be the case. Although, the statistics Gawande gives throughout are very convincing in that they show that less mistakes are being make and therefore more lives are being saved thanks to the checklists.

I don't think the doctors themselves should have to worry about the checklists because they are the ones actually performing the surgeries, but a nurse or some other qualified person should be watching the doctors making sure they execute every step on the checklist. If the doctors miss a step then the nurses need to let it be known immediately. This may take some getting used to, but if the checklist really has such a large effect as the stats show, then this needs to be implemented into all ICUs. Perhaps in the future, there will be a specific position designated to the checklist. There will be doctors, nurses, and "checkers" in the ICU surgery rooms.