A lack of urgency, said Dr. David Euhus, a professor of surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, brings about the dreaded complications.
"Surgery is a complex undertaking that requires a high level of communication between everyone involved," he said. "Because it is performed so frequently and usually with excellent results we can mistakenly perceive it as 'routine.' It is never routine and exacting attention to details is always required."
For his part, Haynes remains optimistic about the future of the checklist, and emphasized the global development and potential for global use of the WHO checklist as its most important feature.
"It really speaks to the global nature of healthcare today," he said. "The issues facing healthcare practitioners are really similar in all corners of the world, rich and poor in every environment."
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