Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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To explore the collaboration between human factors (HFs) experts and clinicians in order to improve perioperative patient safety. ⋯ Human factors engineering is underutilized worldwide. Patient safety would benefit from collaboration with HF experts to design resilient systems. Healthcare organizations must consider HF to develop and implement user-centered solutions to improve safety for patients and professionals.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2024
ReviewBest perioperative practices in the management of obstructive sleep apnea patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.
This review is timely due to the increasing prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among patients undergoing ambulatory surgery, necessitating updated perioperative management strategies to improve outcomes and reduce complications. ⋯ Effective management of OSA in ambulatory surgery requires a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing preoperative screening, tailored intraoperative techniques, and vigilant postoperative monitoring. Implementing guidelines and protocols can significantly enhance patient safety and outcomes.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2024
ReviewCaring for patients with diabetes in the outpatient surgical setting: current recommendations and controversies.
Perioperative outpatient (ambulatory) care of the adult patient with diabetes requires unique considerations that vary from the inpatient setting. This review highlights specific pre, intra, and postoperative care steps for patients with diabetes undergoing ambulatory surgery, summarizing recent clinical trials, expert reviews, and emerging evidence. ⋯ Future research needs to specifically examine chronic blood glucose control, day of surgery targets, effective home medication management and the risk of perioperative hyperglycemia in ambulatory surgery. Education, protocols and resources to support the care of perioperative patients in the outpatient setting will aid providers on the day of surgery and provide optimal diabetes care leading up to surgery.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2024
ReviewSafety amid the scalpels: creating psychological safety in the operating room.
We briefly review the concept of psychological safety and discuss the actions that can create it in the anesthesiologist's work environment. ⋯ To ensure patient safety, we want members of the teams we lead to be comfortable sharing emerging problems that they see before we become aware of them. As educators, we want trainees to approach us when they do not understand something and openly participate and contribute without the fear of how others will perceive them. These scenarios require an environment of psychological safety - the ability to ask for help, admit mistakes, and be respectfully forthright with unpopular beliefs without the fear of being ostracized or ignored. Methods for creating an environment of psychological safety will be discussed.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2024
ReviewMachine learning: implications and applications for ambulatory anesthesia.
This review explores the timely and relevant applications of machine learning in ambulatory anesthesia, focusing on its potential to optimize operational efficiency, personalize risk assessment, and enhance patient care. ⋯ Machine learning has the potential to revolutionize ambulatory anesthesia practice by optimizing efficiency, personalizing care, and improving quality and safety. However, limitations such as algorithmic opacity, data biases, reproducibility issues, and adoption barriers must be addressed through transparent, participatory design principles and ongoing validation to ensure responsible innovation and incremental adoption.