The Checklist Manifesto

How to Get Things Right

By: Atul Gawande

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

The New York Times bestselling author of Being Mortal and Complications reveals the surprising power of the ordinary checklist

We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. Longer training, ever more advanced technologies—neither seems to prevent grievous errors. But in a hopeful turn, acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the humblest and simplest of techniques: the checklist. First introduced decades ago by the U.S. Air Force, checklists have enabled pilots to fly aircraft of mind-boggling sophistication. Now innovative checklists are being adopted in hospitals around the world, helping doctors and nurses respond to everything from flu epidemics to avalanches. Even in the immensely complex world of surgery, a simple ninety-second variant has cut the rate of fatalities by more than a third.

In riveting stories, Gawande takes us from Austria, where an emergency checklist saved a drowning victim who had spent half an hour underwater, to Michigan, where a cleanliness checklist in intensive care units virtually eliminated a type of deadly hospital infection. He explains how checklists actually work to prompt striking and immediate improvements. And he follows the checklist revolution into fields well beyond medicine, from homeland security to investment banking, skyscraper construction, and businesses of all kinds.

An intellectual adventure in which lives are lost and saved and one simple idea makes a tremendous difference, The Checklist Manifesto is essential reading for anyone working to get things right.

©2009 Atul Gawande; (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

<p>“John Bedford Lloyd meticulously narrates Gawande's results on the use of checklists: staggering reductions in infections, deaths, and other negative outcomes. In a documentary-style delivery, Lloyd methodically describes how various companies and their managers are now incorporating checklists into their daily operations, despite some organizational resistance.” —<i>AudioFile</i><br><br>“Is it really possible that a low-tech-actually no-tech-simple list can change and influence outcomes in our high-tech, super-complex world? The answer is a resounding YES! And in his latest book, The Checklist Manifesto, straightforwardly narrated by John Bedford Lloyd, Atul Gawande-one of those wonderfully multitalented men who is a surgeon, New Yorker staff writer and MacArthur Fellow-explains why and how a "stupid little list" can help even the most highly skilled and trained avoid failure and achieve consistent success.” —<i>BookPage, Audio of the Month</i><br><br>“John Bedford Lloyd meticulously narrates Gawande's results on the use of checklists: staggering reductions in infections, deaths, and other negative outcomes. In a documentary-style delivery, Lloyd methodically describes how various companies and their managers are now incorporating checklists into their daily operations, despite some organizational resistance.” —<i>AudioFile</i></p>

Good story

I was hoping for more "how-to's" and ways to make a checklist most effective. However, there were some great stories in the book that underscored the importance of a checklist.

Great things accomplish following a process

great examples in Healthcare on improving quality of care. bonus is how other industries use and perfect outcomes like flight.

Loved it

Really enjoyed the practicality of the advice given in this book. Easier to listen to than try to read the hard copy IMO.

practical for living

in a world that is designed to distract, this book reminds us that we can control our distractions and unplanned events w a simple & flexible check list. thank you!

Surprisingly relevant

It's a little slow in the first 2 chapters but I urge you to push through. When the author begins weaving in his research in other industries and relating it back to his own is when I became more engaged. This book made a big impact on the way I came back to my Sales department in the Entertainment industry and I began applying this simple yet effective approach immediately (but with much resistance as expected).