​​In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Safe Surgery Saves Lives campaign. Its goal is to improve the safety of surgical care around the world. Part of the campaign includes promoting the use of a surgical safety checklist in all hospital operating rooms. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) later adapted the WHO’s surgical safety checklist for use in Canada.
 
In September 2009, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) announced that, beginning July 2010, all hospitals with operating rooms are required to publicly report on their compliance with a three-phase surgical safety checklist. To support hospitals implement the checklist and implement the requirements for public reporting, the OHA and the MOHLTC partnered to develop the Surgical Safety Checklist Implementation Toolkit.

The consistent use of a checklist has been shown to reduce rates of death and complications associated with surgical care. Checklists help health professionals and hospitals better understand and further improve the care they provide.

OHA Surgical Safety Checklist Implementation Toolkit