Handling injectable medications in anaesthesia

Summary

Peri‐operative medication safety is complex. Avoidance of medication errors is both system‐ and practitioner‐based, and many departments within the hospital contribute to safe and effective systems. For the individual anaesthetist, drawing up, labelling and then the correct administration of medications are key components in a patient's peri‐operative journey. These guidelines aim to provide pragmatic safety steps for the practitioner and other individuals within the operative environment, as well as short‐ to long‐term goals for development of a collaborative approach to reducing errors. The aim is that they will be used as a basis for instilling good practice.