Patient safety in anaesthesia

Abstract

Anaesthesia is a complex process resulting in numerous steps in the assessment of veterinary patients, preparation of drugs and equipment, checking of the equipment and communication between team members at several points. It is imperative that within this veterinary professionals strive to ABOVE ALL uphold their declaration to ‘ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to their care’. The pursuit of patient safety in veterinary anaesthesia is in its infancy but must strive to reduce the gap between best practice and the care currently delivered in veterinary practices. This has to involve an evidence-based approach to veterinary anaesthesia and a realisation that preventable human errors occur every day. It must be recognised that not only do these errors occur but that they are inevitable and that only by the recognition and reporting of these errors can analysis and reflection occur to offer preventative strategies. By using veterinary specific tools such as checklists and reporting systems, weveterinary nurses can make a difference.