ABSTRACT Adverse events during surgery have major consequences not only on the patients but also on the healthcare system. With around 310 million surgeries happening globally and increasing complexities in surgery, mishaps during surgery have contributed to a major proportion of preventable errors. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (WHO SSC), as a tool to reduce harm in surgical patients, in 2008. The checklist has had global acceptance, evidenced by mandatory implementation across the globe by regulatory authorities. This literature review is intended to understand the evolution of the WHO SSC, the pattern of implementation, impact of the WHO SSC on global healthcare and the improvisation of existing checklist strategy. The use of the WHO SSC across the global healthcare facilities is widespread and the operating room staff perceive the checklist as having a huge positive impact on patient safety and work efficiency.