Pre-op Checklist

Every safety check. Every surgery. Without exception.

The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist — Sign In, Time-Out, Sign Out — digitised in ZenoHosp. Each step is completed and signed by the responsible team member before the procedure advances. Every checklist is permanently stored for NABH audit.

WHO Surgical Safety Checklist — Sign In, Time-Out, Sign Out
Each step signed by the responsible team member
Checklist cannot be bypassed — must be completed before proceeding
NABH-compliant documentation — audit-ready records
Allergy confirmation, site marking, and consent verification built in

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WHO Surgical Safety Checklist ViewAdd app screenshot here

WHO Checklist

NABH Ready

Documentation formatted for NABH accreditation audit.

Cannot Be Bypassed

Checklist must be completed before case advances.

Team Accountability

Each step signed by the responsible team member.

Patient identity, site, and consent confirmed before anaesthesia begins.

The Sign In phase confirms patient identity, surgical site marking, consent form signed, allergy check, and anaesthesia equipment check — all before the patient is anaesthetised. Each item is checked by the anaesthetist and recorded with their signature.

Patient identity confirmed against wristband and medical record
Surgical site marking confirmed — side, level, or site for laterality procedures
Consent form verified — signed and in the patient's record
Allergy confirmation — patient queried and record cross-checked
Anaesthesia equipment and medication check completed

Time-Out — Before Incision

Entire team pauses. Confirms. Before the first cut.

Before the incision is made, the entire surgical team pauses for the Time-Out. Surgeon, anaesthetist, and scrub nurse confirm the patient's name, procedure, surgical site, and antibiotic prophylaxis. Each team member confirms verbally. ZenoHosp records the confirmation with team member signatures.

Surgeon, anaesthetist, and scrub nurse all confirm — simultaneously
Patient name, procedure, and surgical site reconfirmed by whole team
Antibiotic prophylaxis confirmation — given and documented
Critical steps, implants, and instrument concerns addressed
Imaging results confirmed present and displayed if relevant

Surgical Time-Out VerificationAdd app screenshot here

Sign Out — Before Patient Leaves OT

Instruments counted. Specimen labelled. Nothing left behind.

Before the patient leaves the OT, the Sign Out phase confirms instrument and needle counts are correct, specimens are correctly labelled, and any equipment concerns are documented. The anaesthetist confirms key recovery plans.

Instrument and needle count verified — count matches pre-surgery count
Specimens labelled correctly — sample labelling confirmed by two team members
Equipment issues recorded for post-case follow-up
Recovery room handover notes documented

Sign Out Checklist ScreenAdd app screenshot here

100%

Surgical safety checklist completion rate after digitisation

Near-miss events at hospitals with mandatory checklist enforcement

NABH

Compliant documentation for every surgical case

"Paper checklists were signed in advance and stuffed in a drawer. Nobody actually verified during the case. Since ZenoHosp made it mandatory in the system, every step is verified in real time."

Patient Safety Officer, 450-bed teaching hospital, Hyderabad

Everything included

Every capability — built for Indian hospital workflows.

WHO Surgical Safety ChecklistSign In, Time-Out, and Sign Out — all three phases.

Patient identity verificationWristband and record cross-checked at Sign In.

Surgical site confirmationSite marking verified before anaesthesia begins.

Consent form verificationSigned consent confirmed in patient record.

Allergy confirmationPatient queried and record cross-checked at Sign In.

Team acknowledgement at Time-OutAll team members confirm before first incision.

Antibiotic prophylaxis documentationAdministration confirmed and documented.

Instrument count verificationPre- and post-surgery counts verified and signed.

Specimen labelling confirmationConfirmed by two team members at Sign Out.

Cannot be bypassedChecklist must be completed before case advances in system.

Permanent audit recordEvery completed checklist stored against the surgical case.

NABH-compliant formatDocumentation meets NABH surgical safety requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Can the surgical safety checklist be skipped in urgent situations?

The checklist cannot be bypassed without a documented override reason. For true emergencies, an override is possible but is logged with the reason and overriding clinician's ID. This creates an audit trail for every case where the checklist was not completed in full.

Is the checklist customisable for different surgical specialities?

Yes. The base WHO checklist is pre-configured in ZenoHosp, but additional items can be added per speciality — cardiac surgery may have additional perfusion team confirmations, orthopaedic cases may require implant verification.

Does ZenoHosp store the checklist for NABH audit?

Yes. Every completed checklist is permanently stored against the surgical case record with the name, designation, and timestamp of each team member who confirmed each step.