Electronic System Holds Promise for Administration of Anesthesia

Medication errors remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. In this study of operating room anesthesia at a New Zealand hospital, researchers evaluated use of a complex electronic medication monitoring system that provides not only a bar-code reader but also prefilled color-coded syringes, auditory medication timing warnings, and automatic compilation of anesthesia records.

During the 83 study weeks, nearly 90 anesthesiologists were randomized, by week, to operating rooms with or without the automated system; 1075 cases were observed. Fewer medication errors occurred with the electronic program than with conventional methods (mean, 9.1 vs. 11.6 per 100 medication administrations); however, the vast majority of these …