The New Zealand medical journal
-
To document the problem of drug administration error in anaesthesia in New Zealand, with regard to: prevalence (in context of the total number of drugs that might be administered during an anaesthetist's career); preventative strategies; and anaesthetists' perceptions concerning the medicolegal environment prevailing in New Zealand. ⋯ Error is inherent in drug administration in anaesthesia, as it is in any complex human endeavour; therefore it is illogical to treat it as necessarily criminal. Instead, effort and resources should be aimed at rational initiatives to reduce this worrying problem.