I just watched an interview between Charlie Rose and Atul Gawande regarding his book The Checklist and was intrigued by the concept of a specialist, whether it is a surgeon or a plane builder or a chef, having a checklist to make sure the process, whatever it may be, completed as perfectly as possible. I am having surgery in less than a week to remove numerous tumors developed from a very rare form of cancer (adrenocortical carcinoma) and do not have time to read Atul Gawande's book and was wondering how to go about asking my surgeon if he will be considering a checklist for my surgery. I am impressed by any specialist willing to consult others about their knowledge of something they are supposed to be the specialst of. Is it a matter of humility? I want to ask my surgeon if he will be utilizing a checklist for my surgery but do not want to offend him in any way. Any thoughts?