Anestéziológia a intenzívna medicína 1/2020

Implementation of the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anesthesiology in the Slovak Republic after 10 years

The Helsinki declaration (HD) launched at the 2010 Euroanaesthesia congress in Helsinki, which was also accepted by Slovak Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive medicine (SSAIM), aims to improve patient safety in the perioperative period. This declaration, fully supported by the WHO, defines 10 major intentions for improving perioperative care and, among other things, requires 10 developed protocols everywhere were surgical treatment happens. In addition to adopting conclusions and committing to fulfil this declaration in Slovakia within SSAIM, the Commission for Quality and Safety was established. The aim of this study was to find, how HD is implemented after 10 years in Slovakia. The protocols of the Helsinki declaration were provided, continuously updated and distributed to all anaesthetic departments in Slovakia. Since 2012, Slovak workplaces have been evaluating the measures taken and preparing annual safety reports. In 2019 and 2020, five hospitals in Slovakia actively participated in the project of the European Society of Anaesthesiology, monitoring the implementation and impact of the declaration on the daily practice in perioperative medicine. The result of the existing Slovak activity is to identify our problems and to set goals that we should successfully achieve in the future.

Keywords: Helsinki Declaration, patient safety, perioperative medicine