Safety in Anaesthesia

Patient safety is core to all aspects of the College’s training, education and standards for anaesthesia.

Patient Safety Updates (issued quarterly)
Patient Safety Update – October to December 2012 Safe use of local anaesthetics The (unexpected) high-risk patient Airway complications Machine checks Bariatric surgery Managing complications of surgery Patient Safety Update – October to December 2012 (presentation) Issued: March 2013
Patient Safety Update – July to September 2012 Power failures and anaesthetic machine battery back up Lessons from NAP3 Programming infusion pumps – do a second check! Anaesthetic cover for patients in remote locations Managing the theatre workload – design a safe system – ‘stop the line’ if you are concerned Difficult intubation – plan for recovery Think about indications and contraindications Patient Safety Conference 2012 – summary of presented posters Patient Safety Update – July to September 2012 (presentation) Issued: December 2012
Patient Safety Update – April to June 2012 Anaphylaxis Medical device problems Preoperative assessment Prone positioning Double checking Patient Safety Update – April to June 2012 – Presentation Issued: September 2012
Patient Safety Update – January to March 2012 Medication errors Patient Safety Update – January to March 2012 – Presentation Issued: June 2012

Patient Safety Updates (issued quarterly)

Patient Safety Update – October to December 2012

Safe use of local anaesthetics
The (unexpected) high-risk patient
Airway complications
Machine checks
Bariatric surgery
Managing complications of surgery

Patient Safety Update – October to December 2012 (presentation)

Issued: March 2013

Patient Safety Update – July to September 2012

Power failures and anaesthetic machine battery back up
Lessons from NAP3
Programming infusion pumps – do a second check!
Anaesthetic cover for patients in remote locations
Managing the theatre workload – design a safe system – ‘stop the line’ if you are concerned
Difficult intubation – plan for recovery
Think about indications and contraindications
Patient Safety Conference 2012 – summary of presented posters

Patient Safety Update – July to September 2012 (presentation)

Issued: December 2012

Patient Safety Update – April to June 2012

Anaphylaxis
Medical device problems
Preoperative assessment
Prone positioning
Double checking

Patient Safety Update – April to June 2012 – Presentation

Issued: September 2012

Patient Safety Update – January to March 2012

Medication errors

Patient Safety Update – January to March 2012 – Presentation

Issued: June 2012

Nurturing a safety culture, learning from mistakes, preventing harm and working as part of a team are all part of the discipline of safety. To this end, the College engages with partner organisations to create and disseminate our patient safety agenda. Shared learning, comments and local contribution towards improvements in safety are welcome and can be submitted to the Patient Safety Administrator (salg@rcoa.ac.uk).

Recent Patient Safety News and Alerts

Safer Surgery Week webinars
A series of webinars, including one by the RCoA President Dr JP van Besouw, are available on the Patient Safety First website. These are valuable educational tools for the whole surgical team undertaking the Safer Surgery checklist.
Safer spinal (intrathecal), epidural and regional devices updated October 2011
Wrong Site Blocks updated 16 June 2011
The Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group has been working closely with partnership organisations and the Safety Network on projects relating to the prevention of Wrong Site Block. Please click on the link above to visit our dedicated web page and view the available resources.
Non-Luer Spinal Devices Evaluation – please take part updated 27 May 2011
The Obstetric Anaesthetists Association (OAA), in partnership with SALG, have developed an evaluation system for new spinal (intrathecal), epidural and regional devices.

The anaesthetic eForm has a new URL. Please add it to you favourites https://www.eforms.nrls.nhs.uk/asbreport/

Key safety organisations and initiatives

	Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency		Patient Safety First Campaign
	1000 Lives Plus of Wales		Scottish Patient Safety Programme
	HSC Safety Forum		WHO checklist: Safe Surgery Saves Lives