Anesthesiologists Work on Reducing Patient Errors
I was doing an internet search to find out more about the great work that the anesthesiologists had done in reducing patient errors and found this article from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices:
The 1999 Institute of Medicine report, To Err is Human, identified anesthesiologists as a rare exception to its sweeping criticisms about the lack of professional medical societies or groups that have demonstrated a visible commitment to reducing errors. And the high regard is well deserved. In 1985, the American Society of Anesthesiologists provided $100,000 to launch the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF). Despite some angst, the APSF decided to admit not just physician members, but also nurse anesthetists, insurers, and anesthesia equipment companies, bringing together a broad range of interdisciplinary stakeholders. The risk paid off.
Since then, the APSF has galvanized safety research and prompted significant changes in how anesthesia care is provided. From high-tech simulation mannequins that are used to help anesthesiologists recognize and respond to life-threatening conditions, to pulse oximetry, capnography, non-flammable anesthetics, and other safety features and practices that have been adopted as standards, the APSF has helped reduce anesthesia fatalities from 1 in 5,000 cases to 1 in 200,000-300,000 cases. As anticipated, better patient outcomes have also resulted in fewer lawsuits; anesthesiologists typically pay less for malpractice insurance today than 20 years ago.
Focusing on reducing medical errors, helped patient outcomes and there were less injured people suing for being hurt. Hmm…… People aren’t lining up, hoping to be injured so they can sue. Good for the anesthesiologists. I hope other doctors follow their lead. I know ATLA is starting to work on focusing the medical profession and legislation on reducing patient errors.
