The impact of human factors on veterinary anaesthesia

Human factors are an evidence-based science that consider how external factors and personal circumstances influence work behaviours and the reasons why events happen. It has been frequently studied in professions where mistakes can have disastrous consequences, such as aviation and human medicine, and is now becoming more considered in veterinary medicine. Understanding how human factors influence the safe delivery of anaesthesia means more safety measures can be put in place for both the wellbeing of patients and veterinary staff. These measures include surgical safety checklists, open communication between colleagues and the use of adverse event reporting platforms.