Abstract
Purpose: This article will define standards, how they are developed and applied and how they impact on the day to day practice of clinicians.
Source: CSA-International, International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC), Organization for International Standardization (ISO).
Principal findings: The safety record of the practice of anesthesia has improved over the past 20 yr. This has been brought about by the increase in the knowledge base of physiology and pharmacology, improvements in anesthetic drugs and other medications and through the use of better equipment. However, the introduction of new equipment and the building of new health care facilities has also introduced risks to patient safety. These risks have been created by oversights in design, mistakes in equipment manufacture or facility construction and the need to produce a usable product for the price the health care system can afford. After the anesthetic disasters of the 1960s and 1970s, the need for minimum standards for safety in the design and construction of healthcare facilities and medical equipment were recognized. Canadian anesthesiologists were at the forefront in the development of these standards, and still today members of the Canadian Anesthesiologist’s Society are key contributors to the development of both National and International standards.
Conclusion: Equipment and facility standards have helped improve patient safety over the past 20 yr. However, anesthesiologists need to encourage their governmental regulatory bodies to encourage manufacturer compliance with specific standards.
Résumé
Objectif: Définir les normes, décrire comment elles sont mises au point et appliquées et quel est leur impact sur la pratique clinique quotidienne.
Source: L’ACNOR-Internationale, la Comission électrotechnique internationale (CEI) et l’Organisation internationale de normalisation (ISO).
Constatations principales: La sécurité dans l’exercice de l’anesthésie s’est améliorée au cours des 20 dernières années. C’est grâce aux meilleures connaissances de la physiologie et de la pharmacologie, aux améliorations des médicaments anesthésiques et d’autres médicaments et à l’usage d’un matériel de meilleure qualité. Cependant, l’introduction de nouveau matériel et la construction d’installations comportent d’autres risques à la sécurité du patient. Ces risques ont été créés par des erreurs de design, de fabrication de matériel ou de construction d’installation et par la nécessité de réaliser un produit utilisable à un prix abordable pour le système de santé. Après les désastres anesthésiques des années 1960 et 1970, on a reconnu la nécessité de normes minimales de sécurité dans le design et la construction d’installations de soins et de matériel médical. Les anesthésiologistes canadiens ont été au premier plan du développement de ces normes et, encore aujourd’hui, les membres de la Société canadienne des anesthésiologistes sont des collaborateurs importants au développement de normes nationales et internationales.
Conclusion: Les normes pour le matériel et l’aménagement ont contribué à l’amélioration de la sécurité des patients depuis 20 ans. Mais, les anesthésiologistes doivent inciter les instances de contrôle gouvernementales à encourager l’adhésion des manufacturiers à des normes spécifiques.
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Dain, S.L. Anesthesia standards for facilities and equipment. Can J Anaesth 48, 41–47 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03019813
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03019813