This thematic analysis identified 123 events comprising malpractice claims in the closed claims database of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) Foundation that the investigators determined could have been prevented by the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist involved. Among the factors identified as being associated with preventable events were communication failures, violations of the AANA Standards for Nurse Anesthesia Practice, and errors in judgment.

Office-based anesthesia (OBA) is being performed more commonly internationally. This narrative literature review updates the evidence related to the safety of OBA and makes recommendations for safe practices including; medical directors to be responsible for evidence-based policies, OBA safety and patient checklists emergency procedures, physical setting requirements, pharmacological management, preoperative procedures, airway management and others. The authors identify that lack of consistent regulations and incomplete protocol standardization is problematic.

This narrative review explores how the practice of office-based anesthesia has increased and discusses the need for uniform regulations and accreditation to improve patient outcomes.

This study reviews important issues and aspects of providing safe care in office-based anesthesia practices, a setting the authors suggest will receive increasing regulation in coming years.

The investigators surveyed patients regarding the coordination of their postdischarge care and identified problems with coordination across settings, within settings, and between patients and providers.

Analyzing malpractice claims is a common strategy for evaluating potential patient safety issues, particularly in high-risk settings such as surgery, anesthesia, and obstetrics and gynecology. This study conducted a similar analysis of paid malpractice claims and found that 43% occurred in the ambulatory setting, a notable increase from 2005 to 2009. The most common reason for a paid claim was diagnostic in the ambulatory setting (similar to findings from a past study) and surgical in the inpatient setting. Major injury and death were the two most common outcomes in both settings with mean payment amount significantly higher in the inpatient setting. Advocating for effective risk management programs, an accompanying editorial [see link below] highlights how malpractice risk is increasing and under-recognized in the ambulatory setting. A past AHRQ WebM&M conversation and perspective discuss the intersection between risk management and patient safety.