The art of medicine: Reality check for checklists

Abstract

The Keystone study therefore models how to achieve results in wider contexts: recruit advocates within the organisation, keep the team focused on goals, create an alliance with central administration to secure resources, shift power relations, create social and reputational incentives for cooperating, open channels of communications with units that face the same challenges, and use audit and feedback. [...] Keystone was a complex, cultural, and organisational change effort that was well grounded in theory. [...] using checklists requires focused effort that is properly informed by a scientifically grounded understanding of how organisations and people work, based on theory and evidence.