Marlot Kuiper

35 The challenge of working with checklists Practical contributions Lastly, this dissertation has a practical relevance for those involved in standardization processes in professional organisations. In the exploratory phase of this research, I had a conversation with a very experienced head of the anaesthesia division of one of the hospitals under study. He was very passionate about implementing the Surgical Safety Checklist in the surgery department. He sat in front of me with an implementation booklet in his hands and said; “We read all the evidence, we have extensively prepared this procedure, we have this document… but now what?” This situation proved illustrative for the ways in which people talk and go about implementation within this professional domain. By providing an in-depth empirical analysis, I hope to create more awareness of the micro-processes that influence the creation of routines in professional care, and instigate a change in the current implementation discourse and practices. Chapter 8 discusses the practical implications of this study for professionals, hospital boards (i.e. ‘implementers’), supervisory boards, educators and other professional domains 1.9 Conclusion In this chapter, I have introduced the research problem and setting of this study. From a routine perspective, this dissertation aims to gain an improved understanding of how professionals in surgical care give shape to new standards in the course of their everyday work. In chapter 2 and 3, I will successively provide the theoretical insights backgrounding this study and the research perspective that was used. Chapter 4 provides details on the design. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 present the research findings. In chapter 8, I will draw conclusions and critically discuss (the findings of) this study. The intermezzos between the chapters provide additional reflections and illustrations. 1