A checklist for surgeons? Duh.

According to a Reuters report "Simple checklist cuts accidental deaths in surgery."

Checklists save lives? Who would have thought?

Pilots. Pilots have known that checklists help avoid crashes for decades:

A simple checklist to confirm a patient's name, what procedure is to be done, check allergies and count needles and sponges to make sure nothing got left inside halved the rate of surgery-related deaths, doctors reported on Wednesday.

The checklist, similar to those used by pilots before every flight, also slashed the rate of complications, the World Health Organization team reported.

Pilots journey with the customer, the same can't be said of a surgeon's patients. That's probably why in 2009 checklists are still viewed as some kind of "innovation" within the medical community.

The moral of this story? Don't be afraid to fly, but watch out for your local hospital.