Patient Quality and Safety

Welcome to the Patient Safety Corner During the last century the ASA membership has worked to improve the anesthesia experience for patients and is considered one of the pioneers in the field of patient safety in medicine. Patient safety has improved largely due to advances in anesthesiology and it is generally agreed that anesthesia is safer than it has been in the past.

ASA was the first medical organization to create a foundation to focus on patient safety--the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, founded in 1985.  MOCA Required

Patient Safety Highlights

• In the late 1970s, ASA undertook a massive effort to improve the anesthetic mortality rate by determining the cause of adverse anesthesia-related outcomes and focusing attention on avoiding the causes.
• In 1985, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation was created to raise the levels of consciousness and knowledge of patient safety issues. In early 1986, ASA was the first medical specialty to adopt standards of care for its members. Today more than 30 standards, guidelines and statements developed by the society address standards for the care of patients before, during and after surgery.
• ASA has produced more than 30 instructional videos for use in anesthesiology residency programs and institutional continuing education programs since 1987

Since its founding on October 6, 1905 by nine medical colleagues in Long Island, NY, the ASA has functioned as a research, scientific, and educational resource for anesthesiologists, patients, the public, and policymakers and has continuously provided highly respected guidance and expertise, particularly in patient safety matters. Today, offices in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, IL and in Washington D.C. serve as the base of a Society with a membership that stretches across the USA and into many parts of the world.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 43,000 physicians and other scientists from around the world engaged or especially interested in the medical specialty of anesthesiology. More than 90 percent of all practicing anesthesiologists in the United States belong to ASA, making it the preeminent voice of the specialty.

ASA Collaborates with Other Medical Organizations to Offer Tools to Improve Patient Safety in Hospitals

The Council on Surgical and Perioperative Care (CSPC) promotes excellence in patient safety in the surgical and perioperative environment. The CSPS brings each member of the surgical team together to improve patient safety and envisions a world in which patients receive the safest surgical care provided by an integrated team of dedicated professionals. ASA is one of the seven member organizations leading the CSPC. Please visit the CSPC’s website to learn more about the partnership, ASA’s role in it and opportunities to purchase educational products produced by CSPS with CME offerings.