"The checklists provided two main benefits, Pronovost observed. First, they helped with memory recall, especially with mundane matters that are easily overlooked in patients undergoing more drastic events. . . ."
Indeed, benefits of checklists can be huge. this reminds me of a US Army study I read about some time ago which examined the effects of sleep deprivation and stress in demanding environments.
What they found was that, in general, the high-level strategic capabilities stayed intact -- the people could still analyze complex situations, make and execute battle plans, etc.
What was lost was the smaller, mundane functions, which could add up to critical failures, such as forgetting to refill one's water can or refuel the vehicle before going out, etc.
Interesting lesson