Human factors in anaesthetic crisis

Medication errors and adverse drug events in peri-operative pediatric anesthetic care over twenty years: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Children are at an increased risk of medication errors (MEs) during perioperative care compared to adult patients. This study aimed to critically look at medication errors and determine the frequency of adverse drug events and corrective measures taken for medication errors reported over 20 years in pediatric anesthetic care in the anesthesia department of a tertiary care teaching institution in a lower middle-income country (LMIC).

METHODS

Two investigators conducted a retrospective review of all critical incident forms received between January 2001 and December 2020 and identified medication errors related to patients aged 18 years or less. In the second phase of the audit, these medication errors were assessed in detail and adverse drug events were identified using a standardized protocol. We also analyzed the strategies that were employed to prevent such incidents in the future.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-six pediatric medication errors were identified. 40% of errors were reported in children between 13 and 72 months of age and 58% at induction. The majority of events took place during administration, preparation, and dispensing i.e., 45%, 41%, and 6% respectively. The adverse drug events occurred in 27 (1.2%) reports and life-threatening events in only one report.

CONCLUSION

13% of the medication errors progressed to adverse drug events (ADE) and half of those were serious and life-threatening. Reinforcement of standard practice in departmental critical incident meetings, patient safety workshops and lessons to learn e-mails were some low-cost strategies to enhance medication safety during anesthesia.

Conflicts of Interest Anesthesia Practice: Relationships with Industry, Responsibility to the Health Care System, and Research Integrity

Conflicts of interest (COIs) between clinical obligations and other roles and responsibilities occur throughout health care, including anesthetic practice. In some circumstances, these conflicts are unavoidable. This article describes some of the potential conflicts and explores approaches to managing them in 3 key areas: relationships with industry, responsibility to the health care system, and obligations in research. Although working with industry has many benefits, COIs may arise from financial arrangements, potential biases that may go unrecognized, prioritization of commercial interests and even guideline development.

Human errors and their prevention in healthcare

Human errors form a significant portion of preventable mishaps in healthcare. Even the most competent clinicians are not immune to it. Errors in the perioperative period can often have grave consequences, and hence, perioperative clinicians need to be aware of the impact of human errors and how to minimize them. Errors are broadly classified into two kinds: latent and active errors. While active errors need to be addressed at the individual level, latent errors indicate organizational inadequacies. This review describes common errors in perioperative settings, the impact of such errors on healthcare, and preventive strategies to minimize such errors in daily patient care.