On 16 October anaesthesia professionals will celebrate World Anaesthesia Day by taking to social media to highlight their leadership and expertise in medication safety.
World Anaesthesia Day on 16 October 2022 is celebrating the expertise that anaesthesiologists and the wider anaesthesia community bring to improving medication safety practices and reducing medication errors.
Medication safety = Patient Safety
Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are the leading causes of avoidable harm in health care across the world.
It is projected that 5% of all patients who are admitted to a hospital experience a medication error, and that an average hospital will have one medication error every 23 hours or every 20 admissions. Medication errors result in severe patient harm, disability and even death.
Globally, the cost associated with medication errors has been estimated at $42 billion USD annually.
As recognised leaders in patient safety anaesthesia professionals are at the forefront of medication safety. All anaesthesia professionals on a daily basis employ personal and team-based practices and techniques to ensure that their patients receive the correct medication, at the right concentration, at the right time and in the right place.
World Anaesthesia Day 2022 is about the global anaesthesia community celebrating and sharing that personal and professional expertise. Sharing on their social media feeds the techniques that they employ every day to ensure patient safety.
Reducing the risk of error
Studies show that there are methods of improving medication safety. For example, engagement with checklists and technology has been shown to enhance performance, as well as pre-preparing syringes when possible.
It’s also important to encourage a ‘just’ safety culture through the routine reporting of medical errors, creating a fair environment where systemic issues can be distinguished and resolved.
Anaesthesia is #MedSafe
On Sunday 16 October the anaesthesia community will be taking to social media to share their expertise in medication safety by posting examples of their #MedSafe practices and approaches.
Connecting online through #MedSafe and #WAD2022, individual anaesthesia professionals and wider anaesthesia and surgical teams will share the practices which they employ to ensure they are #MedSafe. Examples shared include
- pre-operative routines
- photos of colour-coded syringes
- improving communication with colleagues
- Using checklists
#WAD2022 campaign wants to know how anaesthesia professionals ensure the safe use of their medicines.
Share your approach
What do you do to improve medication safety?
Let us know how you are #MedSafe by sharing your tips on social platforms
[Example: I am #MedSafe because I pre-prepare my syringes when I can.]
[Example: I am #MedSafe because I always keep my syringes colour-coded]
[Example: I am #MedSafe because I prioritise my wellbeing, so I’m not overly fatigued in the operating theatre]
Medication Safety Resources and Research
- Medication Safety During Anesthesia and the Perioperative (2021). Merry & Wahr
- Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm brochure (2017) WHO
- Patient Safety Curriculum Guide: Section 11 – Medication Safety (2011) WHO
- Medicines safety in anaesthetic practice (2019) Mackay, Jennings & Webber. BJA Education 19(5)
- Medication safety in the operating room: literature and expert-based recommendations (2017) Wahr, J. A., et al. BJA 118(1)
- Medication handling: towards a practical, human-centred approach Marshall & Chrimes (2018) Anaesthesia
- Medication Administration in Anesthesia (2007) Stabile et al .
- The economics of medication safety: Improving medication safety through collective, real-time learning. (2022) OECD Health Working Paper N° 147.
- World Patient Safety Day with Dr Jannicke Mellin-Olsen (2022) ASA’s Central Line podcast episode 76
