Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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The adoption of new technologies in medicine is frequently met with both enthusiasm and resistance. The universal adoption of health information technology (IT) and anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) remains low despite the potential benefits. Electronic medical records, and hence AIMS, are at the intersection of patient safety. This article highlights advantages and barriers to adoption and implementation of IT in general and AIMS in particular, with a focus on clinical decision support systems (CDSS) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) as hallmarks that may lead to improvement in patient safety and quality in the perioperative setting. ⋯ Health IT and AIMS are at the intersection of patient safety and technology. Anesthesiologists are perfectly positioned to be the physician leaders of adoption, design, implementation, and integration, not only for AIMS but also for health-system IT solutions in general.
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Anemia in both acute and chronic conditions is associated with an increased risk of organ injury (brain, heart, kidney) and mortality. Thus, anemia is not "safe". Impairment of tissue oxygen delivery likely contributes as a central mechanism; however, the existing treatments for anemia (i.e., transfusion, erythropoiesis stimulating agents, blood substitutes) have not produced a demonstrable improvement in patient outcomes despite their efficacy to increase blood oxygen content. Indeed, transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) has been attributed to increase mortality in non-bleeding patients. Thus, the pathophysiology of anemia-induced morbidity and mortality and its treatments are complex and incompletely understood. New knowledge continues to emerge regarding the cellular mechanisms that maintain oxygen homeostasis during anemia. Nevertheless, the application of this knowledge has not yet led to improvements in patient outcomes. As both anemia and transfusion are associated with increased mortality, utilization of multimodal patient blood management strategies may be effective in avoiding both of these predictors of adverse outcomes. We propose to review new strategies to avoid both anemia and transfusion with the goal of improving patient outcomes and safety. ⋯ Anemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Ongoing initiatives to treat anemia and optimize patient blood management may improve patient outcomes. A broader application of these approaches may improve the overall safety of anesthesia and surgery for patients with anemia.
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Checklists are increasingly being used by surgical teams in the perioperative period to improve clinical care and increase patient safety. In this article, we review some of the mechanisms by which checklists work and evaluate evidence supporting their use. ⋯ Checklists can aid clinicians involved in complex processes and multidisciplinary team interactions to improve the quality and safety of care by prompting dialogue and exchange of information.
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The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the impact of clinical practice guidelines on the outcomes of care and patient safety. ⋯ Under certain conditions, guidelines can add value to care and improve outcomes; they need to be evidence-based, methodologically sound, and appropriately applied to patients and clinical scenarios. Simply summarizing evidence in a guideline is an inadequate process. To achieve the benefit of guidelines, implementation strategies need to be robust.