JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Although the field of anesthesiology has made significant contributions to improving patient safety, the perioperative administration of medications continues to have significant safety issues. Most perioperative medication errors are only detected after they result in significant physiologic derangements. Medication administration in the perioperative setting presents particular patient safety challenges compared with other hospital settings. This review highlights several potential strategies and interventions to improve the patient safety of perioperative medication in anesthesiology, including heightening awareness and revise education curriculum regarding drug safety in the operating room; recognizing the “redundancy” or multiple checking in the operating room where a hallmark of medication safety, is not a common practice; major new technologies, particularly bar code scanners, need to be studied specifically in the context of anesthesia care. In addition, human factors engineering changes and cultural reform at the personal and organizational levels are needed.