Using checklists to improve patient safety during anaesthesia

Background: It is inevitable that human errors will sometimes happen in practice, but these can be reduced by following some strict, straightforward checklists; these can serve as ‘aide‐mémoires’, ‘challenge/response’ or ‘read and do’ checks, and are particularly important during the induction of, and emergence from, anaesthetic procedures. Aim of the article: This article highlights the importance of checklists, and explores the comparison between human healthcare checklists and those used in veterinary medicine.