Hywel Dda NHS Trust will be one of the first in Wales to implement a new initiative that will improve safety for patients undergoing surgery.
The trust has signed up to be an early implementation site for the World Health Organisation's Surgical Safety Checklist, which is being driven forward by the 1000 Lives Campaign and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA).
The trust's surgical, anaesthetic and theatre departments across the four acute hospitals - Bronglais General Hospital, Prince Philip Hospital, West Wales General Hospital and Withybush General Hospital - will fully comply with the checklist in all theatres, including day surgery, by the end of the month.
The work is a key part of the Reducing Surgical Complications area of the 1,000 Lives Campaign which aims to improve patient safety and quality of care across Wales by April 2010.
Hywel Dda NHS Trust's head of risk management and patient safety Hazel Smith said: "We wanted to sign-up as an early implementation site as there is clear evidence that this simple method can lead to a dramatic improvement in outcomes for patients undergoing surgery.
"The trust is fully supportive of any initiatives that lead to improved patient safety.
"We already play an active role in the national 1,000 Lives Campaign and know how important the implementation of this new surgical checklist is to ensuring we provide safer and better quality care for our patients."
The checklist confirms tasks in three areas - before anaesthesia, before surgery, and before the patient leaves the operating room - that need to be carried out by surgical teams before they can move onto the next stage.
It focuses on basic good practice: checking the patient's identity, the correct site for operation and provide an opportunity for discussing any complications that may arise.
It will also highlight potential risks of haemorrhage, reaction to antibiotics and allergies.
The 1,000 Lives Campaign and the NPSA is supporting the implementation of the surgical checklist to be used across Wales by February 2010, protecting both patients and clinical staff alike.
An international pilot showed implementation of the checklist reduced surgical complications by 36 per cent and surgical mortality rates reduced from 1.5 per cent to 0.8 per cent.
Hywel Dda NHS Trust's associate medical director for surgery Mark Henwood said: "Operating theatres are high-risk environments but by using the checklist for every operation we are improving team communication, saving lives and helping ensure the highest standards of care for out patients."