Table 4 Summary of results for each clinical setting.

ICU

5

Different checklists were used, and different outcomes were measured. There was reduction of patient LOS for some studies, and improvements in compliance in some care processes in some studies, but these were not consistent across all studies

The five studies [3–7] all had a high risk of bias

ED

2

Different checklists were used, and different outcomes were measured. Appropriate use of catheters increased following the intervention but was not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant decrease in LOS using the checklist.

The two studies [8, 9] had a high risk of bias

Surgery

1

The rate of any complication, surgical-site infection, unplanned reoperation, and death fell significantly with checklist use. The incidence of pneumonia did not improve.

The one study [10] had a moderate risk of bias

Acute care

1

Checklists significantly improved antibiotic administration within eight hours for patients with pneumonia, with patients approximately two times as likely to receive antibiotics within eight hours compared to patients without checklists.

The one study [11] had a high risk of bias