Common errors in clinical measurement

Inaccurate clinical measurement may lead to patient harm or sub-optimal care. As monitors become more complex the possibility of measurement error increases. Clinicians need to understand the causes of errors to avoid and correct them.In this article we will discuss errors associated with equipment commonly used in anaesthesia including pulse oximetry, capnography, ECG, non-invasive and invasive blood pressure, central venous pressure, gas flow and cardiac output measurement.