Anesthesiology and Patient Safety

Aristotle is quoted as saying "Quality is not an act, it is a habit." In the Moffitt Department of Anesthesiology, we recognize that patient safety is not something that is ever achieved, it is something that must be actively strived for every single day.

Our faculty embrace the legacy of anesthesiologists as pioneers of the patient safety movement, and are committed to advancing safety science further.

The expertise and dedication of our faculty to patient safety have resulted in our anesthesiologists receiving the Cancer Center’s Excellence in Safety Award three times, a recent publication in our profession’s flagship journal, and frequent invitations to present at national meetings on patient safety, including the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, National Patient Safety Foundation, and the International Anesthesia Research Society.

Past and future areas of patient safety that we have worked on include:

• Optimizing blood transfusion / massive hemorrhage management
• Crisis manuals & cognitive aids
• Communication tools between APPs & anesthesiologists
• The limitations of common safety practices, including checklists, safety reporting, and event investigations
• Developing clinical pathways for high-risk cases and high-risk patients.