Involving doctors in equipment choices will improve patient safety, say new anaesthesia guidelines

Online, October 19, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Asking an anaesthetist to use equipment on a patient when they are unfamiliar with it is as bad as asking a pilot to fly a jumbo jet full of passengers when they are only used to DC10s.

That's the view expressed by Dr John Carter, Chair of the working party behind the latest safety guidelines produced by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI).

The Association has introduced the guidelines, on the Safe Management of Anaesthetic Related Equipment, amid concerns that some of its members are being asked to use equipment they are unfamiliar with and played no role in choosing.

"Sometimes doctors will have equipment foisted on them because it is the cheapest equipment available" says Dr Carter, a consultant anaesthetist from Bristol.

"One of the reasons behind these guidelines is to make sure that the people who use the equipment have a real say in what is provided. I know of cases where anaesthetists recommended particular pieces of equipment and the hospital trusts bought other makes and models just because they were cheaper.

"It's rather like expecting an airline pilot who has been trained to fly DC10s to turn up for work one day to find he's got to take a jumbo jet up! Nobody would want to be in that situation on that plane and patients shouldn't be put in the position of having an anaesthetist looking after them who is unfamiliar with the equipment he or she is using."

The AAGBI, which provides its members with advice on all aspects of patient safety, points out that about 20 per cent of the critical incidents in anaesthesia are thought to be down to equipment failure. Half of these are linked to user error or inappropriate use, indicating a lack of training in the correct use of equipment.

"Anaesthetists are encouraged to report any incident that may lead to a compromise in patient safety and the level of incident reporting is fairly high in anaesthesia" says Dr Carter. "That means that we have a fairly clear picture of the safety issues that arise and can make sure the guidance we produce focuses on those areas."

The AAGBI's ten-point action plan makes it clear that anaesthetists should be intimately involved in specifying what anaesthetic equipment should be used and in what their hospital trust chooses to buy.

"Making sure that staff receive adequate training is also essential and there should be an effective early warning system to ensure that any concerns are raised promptly and acted on" says Dr Carter.

"These steps are vital to ensure that anaesthetists are using high-quality, safe equipment that enables them to provide safe care to their patients.

"We appreciate that cost needs to be a factor, but it is essential that it is not the driving force behind equipment decisions. Safety, quality and performance are top priorities and providing equipment that staff feel confident and competent using is paramount."

The new guidelines can be accessed at www.aagbi.org and an audio clip interview explaining the rationale behind their introduction is at http://www.aagbi.org/safe_management_of_equipment_safetyguideline_interview.mp3

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Further information
Annette Whibley, Wizard Communications
[email protected]

Notes to editors

• The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland is a leading representative body for anaesthetists in the UK and overseas and is one of the UK's largest single grant providers for anaesthetic research. It currently has around 10,000 members. www.aagbi.org

• Anaesthetists are specialist doctors involved in the care of two-thirds of all hospital patients. Their expertise extends beyond the main operating theatre to acute and chronic pain management, leading resuscitation teams, managing Intensive Care Units, working in maternity units, accident and emergency departments and radiology, the care of some dental patients and the transfer of critically ill patients.