Global Trends in Patient Safety in the Perioperative Period：Ratification of the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anesthesiology and Anesthesiologist’s Initiative

Abstract

Owing to recent advancements in surgical techniques and developments in perioperative patient care, greater numbers of surgeries are being performed worldwide. In order to reduce surgery-related deaths and complications, the World Health Organization（WHO）published the WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery 2009. This article outlines global trends in patient safety in the perioperative period；summarized the WHO guidelines；describes Japanese efforts to follow the guidelines；and discusses the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anesthesiology, which aims to ensure patient safety, especially in the field of anesthesiology by focusing on the WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery 2009 and other protocols. The Helsinki Declaration was firstly ratified by the European Society of Anesthesiology, and then by many other bodies all over the world including the Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists.