Medication Administration Error in Anaesthetic Practice: AReview of the African Experience

Medication error is a significant issue of concern in medical practice because it can lead to severe and deleterious reaction. The issue is of more concern in anaesthetic practice in which medications are administered to interfere with the normal activity of the central nervous system so as to prevent pain associated with medical procedures. This papers reviews record of anaesthetic medication administration error in the African setting drawing from records of contemporary databases. Also the likely causes were enumerated and recommendations to ensure best practices. Overall 9 publications comprising 7 studies and 5 case reports were accessed from 3 countries (i.e. Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco). These error can be adequately checked by double checking of all medication label by a minimum of two Anaesthetist prior to administration, reducing Anaesthetics work load and introducing colour coding of syringes into national guidelines.