This retrospective study of the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry database determined that complications were more common for procedures performed in the operating room compared to procedures performed outside the operating room. This finding may be due to adverse selection, in which patients at higher risk for complications are intentionally treated in the operating room environment. A past WebM&M commentary discussed an adverse event related to a procedure at an outpatient center.

The weekend effect, in which patient outcomes are worse outside of usual business hours, is well-documented across multiple care settings. Analyzing administrative data, this study found a higher rate of complications in both urgent and elective surgery on the weekend compared to the weekdays. This finding emphasizes the need to develop and test strategies to enhance safety on evenings and weekends in acute care settings.

The field of anesthesiology has achieved dramatic progress in safety by incorporating teamwork and human factors approaches into practice. This commentary outlines safety efforts in this setting, particularly around the creation of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and the Anesthesia Quality Institute, to frame how organizational partnerships enable continuous improvement. A past AHRQ WebM&M perspective explores insights from Dr. Jeffrey Cooper about patient safety in anesthesia.

Implementing a standardized checklist resulted in a significant reduction in the proportion of trauma patients who could not be successfully liberated from mechanical ventilation.

This study demonstrated success in preserving important administrative measures, including length of stay and patient volume, by using a nurse practitioner (rather than a physician trainee) to participate in multidisciplinary rounds.