Patient safety in anesthesia: Learning from mistakes?

Abstract

Anesthesiology is the first specialization with clearly defined activities towards patient safety. The Helsinki Declaration on patient safety in anesthesiology, launched in 2010 and signed by the Serbian Association of Anesthesiologists and Intensivists (SAAI), represents a framework for building safety culture and raising awareness on improving the quality of anesthesia and intensive care. It is important to understand why and how patients complete their surgical treatment without unexpected adverse events and which safety features are a natural part of the anesthesiologist's daily work. At the same time, it is necessary to identify weaknesses that can be corrected and prevent mistakes or complications that adversely affect the outcome. Reporting critical incidents is one element of improving patient safety through organizational changes and improved procedures in patient management. In 2018, connected to the UAIS website, a platform for critical incident reporting in anesthesia and intensive care: "Critical incident reporting system Serbia (CIRSS)", was created, which, unfortunately, has not given the expected results yet. Regardless of the complexity of implementing change, every individual who advocates safety culture and represents a role model in their working environment can make a huge contribution to improving everyday practice. Critical incident reporting and analysis should be a mandatory part of the anesthesia curriculum, as well as part of continuing medical education program.