Risk reduction in anesthesia and sedation-An analysis of process improvement towards zero adverse events

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Anesthesia is a complex, skill-based medical field.
• Primary Care Physicians play a role in initial patient evaluations for surgery.
• Enhanced knowledge of anesthesia risks and interventions can improve patient care and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and reduce risks associated with anesthesia care.
• To implement process improvements in anesthesia procedures.
• To enhance patient safety through systematic risk management.

Main Methods:

• A study was conducted in a multispecialty teaching hospital in Bihar, India, from January 2018 to December 2018.
• The methodology focused on Anesthesia Care related Risk Identification and Reduction.
• Risk Severity Analysis was performed on critical anesthesia care steps.

Main Results:

• The average Hazard Score for anesthesia care decreased significantly over the study period.
• Scores reduced from 21.59 (Jan-Mar 2018) to 2.12 (Oct-Dec 2018).
• An overall reduction of 90.18% in the Hazard Score was achieved.

Conclusions:

• A systematic approach to risk reduction led to process improvements and enhanced anesthesia care safety.
• Zero adverse anesthesia/sedation events were reported from January 2019 to December 2019.
• Consistent reporting of zero adverse events demonstrates the effectiveness of the risk reduction strategy.