• Katja S Just, Svenja Hubrich, Daniel Schmidtke, Andrea Scheifes, Mark U Gerbershagen, Frank Wappler, and Joern Grensemann.
• University Witten/Herdecke, Medical Center Cologne-Merheim, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Ostmerheimer St 200, 51109 Cologne, Germany.
• J Crit Care. 2015 Apr 1;30(2):255-60.

PurposeWe aimed to test the effectiveness of checklists for emergency procedures on medical staff performance in intensive care crises.Materials And MethodsThis is a prospective single-center randomized trial in a high-fidelity simulation center modeling an intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary care hospital in Germany. Teams consisted of 1 ICU resident and 2 ICU nurses (in total, n = 48). All completed 4 crisis scenarios, in which they were randomized to use checklists or to perform without any aid. In 2 of the scenarios, checklists could be used immediately (type 1 scenarios); and for the remaining, some further steps, for example, confirming diagnosis, were required first (type 2 scenarios). Outcome measurements were number of predefined items and time to completion of more than 50% and more than 75% of steps, respectively.ResultsWhen using checklists, participants initiated items faster and more completely according to appropriate treatment guidelines (9 vs 7 items with and without checklists, P < .05). Benefit of checklists was better in type 2 scenarios than in type 1 scenarios (2 vs 1 additional item, P < .05). In type 2 scenarios, time to complete 50% and 75% of items was faster with the use of checklists (P < .005).ConclusionsUse of checklists in ICU crises has a benefit on the completion of critical treatment steps. Within the type 2 scenarios, items were fulfilled faster with checklists. The implementation of checklists for intensive care crises is a promising approach that may improve patients' care.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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