Medication errors in veterinary anesthesia: a literature review

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Anesthesia
• Patient Safety
• Medication Errors

Background:

• Human anesthesia is known for a high risk of medication errors (MEs).
• MEs are frequently reported medical errors in veterinary medicine.
• Focus on the perianesthetic period in veterinary practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overview medication errors in veterinary medicine, particularly during anesthesia.
• To compare veterinary MEs with those in human anesthesia.
• To identify risk factors and error reduction strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature search of PubMed and CAB abstracts.
• Search terms included 'patient safety', 'medication error', and 'veterinary'.
• Analysis of case reports and self-reporting systems.

Main Results:

• Common predisposing factors for MEs in both human and veterinary anesthesia include distraction, fatigue, workload, and dose calculations.
• Perianesthetic MEs in veterinary medicine involve prescription, preparation, and administration errors.
• Cats experienced more harmful outcomes from MEs than dogs.

Conclusions:

• Self-reporting systems likely underestimate the true incidence of MEs.
• Strategies for reducing MEs include education, awareness, and implementing behavioral, communication, organizational, and cognitive aids.
• Addressing identified risk factors is crucial for enhancing patient safety in veterinary anesthesia.