The Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council Annual Report 2024 – Improving care before, during and after surgery, shares key learnings from reviews of perioperative mortality and morbidity. The report highlights opportunities to improve communication, shared decision-making, recognition of deterioration, transitions of care and includes clinical practice points and recommendations to support perioperative care across Victoria.
All surgery carries some risk. Even when the best perioperative care has been provided, sadly, each year a small number of patients experience complications and, in some instances, die during or after surgery. Many of these deaths are not preventable however, in some instances, death is an unexpected outcome. It is critical that we learn from these cases and continuously improve care before, during and after surgery, for all Victorians.