• Craig S Webster, Ravi Mahajan, and Jennifer M Weller.
• Department of Anaesthesiology, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: c.webster@auckland.ac.nz.
• Br J Anaesth. 2023 Aug 1; 131 (2): 397406397-406.

AbstractWe review the development of technology in anaesthesia over the course of the past century, from the invention of the Boyle apparatus to the modern anaesthetic workstation with artificial intelligence assistance. We define the operating theatre as a socio-technical system, being necessarily comprised of human and technological parts, the ongoing development of which has led to a reduction in mortality during anaesthesia by an order of four magnitudes over a century. The remarkable technological advances in anaesthesia have been accompanied by important paradigm shifts in the approach to patient safety, and we describe the inter-relationship between technology and the human work environment in the development of such paradigm shifts, including the systems approach and organisational resilience. A better understanding of emerging technological advances and their effects on patient safety will allow anaesthesia to continue to be a leader in both patient safety and in the design of equipment and workspaces.Copyright © 2023 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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