A checklist is a type of job aid used in repetitive tasks to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task. A basic example is the "to do list". A more advanced checklist would be a schedule, which lays out tasks to be done according to time of day or other factors. A primary task in checklist is documentation of the task and auditing against the documentation. Use of a written checklist can reduce any tendency to avoid, omit or neglect important steps in any task. Applications aid in aviation safety to ensure that critical items are not overlooked. Example: Pre-flight checklists Used in quality assurance of software engineering, to check process compliance, code standardization and error prevention, and others. Often used in industry in operations procedures In civil litigation to deal with the complexity of discovery and motions practice. An example is the open-source litigation checklist. Can aid in mitigating claims of negligence in public liability claims by providing evidence of a risk management system being in place Used by some investors as a critical part of their investment process An ornithological checklist (:Category:Ornithological checklists), a list of birds with standardized names that helps ornithologists communicate with the public without the use of scientific names in Latin A popular tool for tracking sports card collections. Randomly inserted in packs, checklist cards provide information on the contents of sports card set. The creation of emergency survival kits In professional diving, checklists are used in the preparation of equipment for a dive, and to ensure that the diver and life support systems are fully prepared before they enter the water. To a lesser extent, checklists are used by a minority of recreational divers, and by a larger proportion of technical divers during pre-dive checks. Studies have shown checklists to be effective at reducing the number of errors and consequent incidents. Health care use Checklists have been used in healthcare practice to ensure that clinical practice guidelines are followed. An example is the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist developed for the World Health Organization and found to have a large effect on improving patient safety and subsequently found to have a nil effect in a cohort of hospitals in the Province of Ontario in Canada. According to a meta-analysis after introduction of the checklist mortality dropped by