“One size” doesn't “fit all”: Understanding variability in anesthesia work practices (28 October 2022)

Summary

This study examines the variability in how different anaesthesia providers approach patient care, to provide insight into the source and necessity of variations in practice, the implications of different individual preferences and the subsequent consequences on approaches to safety that emphasise standardisation. The authors argue that the differences in how anaesthesia providers approach their work call into question whether ‘standardisation’ is always the best approach to improve safety in anaesthesia. They state that this work reinforces the idea that it is the humans in the system, with their flexibility and expertise, who are the primary source of everyday safety.