Gina Kearney and Sue Penque discuss the responsibility of staff to document care accurately. Using the example of checklists, they show how simple omissions can put patient safety at risk

Evidence suggests that checklists can prevent episodes of patient harm and they are increasingly being used in patient care to ensure that procedures are being carried out. However, checklists cannot do so alone and in some situations the checklist might indicate that an intervention has been undertaken when it has not. Healthcare providers, particularly nurses, must consider not only the increase in the use of checklists, but also the way in which they present a context for ethical decision making. This article examines the ethical dimensions of using checklists, played out in the context of a scenario, and suggests that failure to take ethics into account when considering checklists might perpetuate rather than prevent unsafe practices or errors. The article is set in a US context, but the issues are relevant to healthcare settings in any part of the world.