UEMS EBA Patient Safety Standing Committee
Chairpersons: Guttorm Brattebø (Norway); David Whitaker (UK)
This standing committee covers aspects of patient safety related to the work of Anaesthesiologists including:
- Safe medication practices
- Safe airway management
- Equipment safety
- Minimum standards for monitoring
- Safe delivery of anaesthesia
- Regional Anaesthesia
- Resuscitation
European Board of Anaesthesiology statement on the criminalisation of medial error.
The European Board of Anaesthesiology (EBA) calls for help to be given to patients and relatives to avoid being harmed in the future by the criminalisation of medical error.
Therefore, the EBA fully supports and endorses the Anaesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) Position Statement on Criminalization of Medical Error and Call for Action to Prevent Patient Harm from Error
Processes like the criminalisation of medical error prevent the identification of the reasons for patients being harmed and worse, stop others finding out how to avoid them. Being able to discover and promulgate the lessons learned from previous medical errors will always be in the best interests of patients and their families.
Additionally, most nations have professional bodies for the independent investigation of aircraft, rail and maritime incidents, but currently only two in Europe (Norway and the UK) have these organisations for investigating medical adverse incidents which cause far more harm and deaths of their countries citizens than all the others combined. Such bodies should be established as soon as possible so that governments can demonstrate their intent to help patients avoid preventable harm and also involve patients’ families wherever possible.
December 2022
The European Board of Anaesthesiology supports the #FightFatigue Campaign
The European Board of Anaesthesiology believes it's time for healthcare professions, managers and funders to acknowledge that working at night is not the same as working in the day. For the sake of patient safety, steps must be taken by all parties to manage night working safely. To take this forward the EBA is wholeheartedly supporting the #FightFatigue Campaign which is working hard to address this crucial issue for healthcare staff and patients.
The #Fight Fatigue Campaign has produced many useful resources which are freely available to use (with an acknowledgement)
More information on ‘Managing Fatigue as part of a Safety Culture’ by Dr Nancy Redfern
https://www.facebook.com/ESAICTraineeNetwork/videos/590844808601347/
Please spread the word and disseminated this valuable material to all involved in healthcare. You are welcome to translate the infographics into your own language and use them in your own work environment with an acknowledgement of the source.
Please contact fatigue@anaesthetists.org for more information.
The European Board of Anaesthesiology (EBA) warns against the increased risk of fires during the Covid 19 pandemic (pdf)