Human factors in anaesthesia: a narrative review (11 January 2023)

Summary

Healthcare relies on high levels of human performance; however, human performance varies and is recognised to fall in high-pressure situations, meaning that it is not a reliable method of ensuring safety. Other safety-critical industries embed human factors principles into all aspects of their organisations to improve safety and reduce reliance on exceptional human performance; there is potential to do the same in anaesthesia.

This narrative review in the journal Anaesthesia aims to describe what is known about human factors in anaesthesia to date.