Checklist Manifesto

I’ve seen an advertising poster around town for the NPR Diane Rehm Show where a fan praises Ms. Rehm for raising his I.Q. on a daily basis. I also enjoy listening to Ms. Rehm and her guests and I find her shows quite thoughtful. I would submit, however, that listening to Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! show also raises my I.Q. and does oh so much more. Listening to DN! opens my mind to new ideas, gives me food for thought, and encourages me to go forth and improve my world.
This Tuesday’s show, for example, struck a particular chord with me. I love to create and use checklists. I use them at home and I use them in the office. They are how I attempt to manage and control all the pressing activities vying for my time and energy. The guest, Dr. Atul Gawande is known for many things, and most recently for authoring, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. After hearing him discuss his new book with Ms. Goodman, I’m looking forward to reading it for myself!

During the show, Dr. Gawande discusses how hospitals have made impressive improvements in caring for their patients (at a cost savings) by implementing checklists for activities such as surgery and complex high-risk tasks. Dr. Gawande commented that we foster a culture in our health care system where we expect our doctors to have ready recall of everything. This is an admirable talent, but with the exploding wealth of knowledge, scientific, and technological advancements, is this practical or wise?

I was surprised to learn that, according to Dr. Gawande, many people in the medical field consider it a sign of weakness for a doctor to pull out a reference text in front of a patient because he needs to look something up. I had considered such an act a sign of competence, and still do. Nevertheless, it isn’t surprising that the concept of using checklists hasn’t been widely implemented in medical settings. Afterall, what doctor needs a checklist if all the important steps have been memorized?

Well, I’ve been working on my checklists for 2010. As we embark upon this new adventure that is the Year 2010, may you have thought-provoking checklists to guide and encourage you in your successes!