IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WHO SURGICAL SAFETY CHECKLIST IN RESOURCE-LIMITED SOMALIA: A NEW STANDARD IN SURGICAL SAFETY

 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WHO SURGICAL SAFETY CHECKLIST IN RESOURCE-LIMITED SOMALIA: A NEW STANDARD IN SURGICAL SAFETY

7

 

 

 

 

 

Oral or Poster

Surgical safety remains a critical global health concern, with complications from surgical procedures resulting in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) has been shown to reduce surgical complications and mortality rates. However, its implementation and impact in resource-limited settings like Somalia remain understudied.

We conducted a pre-post study in 15 randomly selected hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia. Surgical teams received comprehensive WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) training. Adherence to the SSC was measured before (April–May 2024) and after (May–June 2024) training, categorized as good (>60%) or poor (≤60%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, McNemar’s test, and binary logistic regression.

Adherence to the WHO SSC significantly improved after training, from 37% to 98.8% of cases demonstrating good adherence (p<0.001). The mean adherence score rose from 51.6% to 94.1%. Significant improvements were seen in individual checklist items and team dynamics. Pre-intervention adherence was associated with hospital and surgical case characteristics.

The implementation of a comprehensive training intervention significantly improved adherence to the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in resource-limited hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia. The findings highlight the feasibility and effectiveness of the SSC in enhancing surgical safety practices, team communication, and patient