Logbook standards

We collaborated with the Society for Computing and Technology in Anaesthesia (SCATA) to develop our approved logbook standards.

Why do we have approved standards?

Recently, we conducted a comprehensive review of anaesthetic logbooks via our LLP Maintenance and Development Group.

We felt this review was much needed. While several logbook providers are available for UK anaesthetists, it’s crucial to recognise that some options may expose users to the risk of data loss if best practice standards aren’t adhered to.

As a key outcome of our logbook review, we recommended establishing minimum technical standards for online logbooks. These standards serve as a guide to our members so they can ensure that their chosen logbook provider meets data safety requirements. We want to avoid our members putting themselves at risk of losing their logbook data.

Technical standards

Throughout our approved logbook standards, the terms below are used and highlighted.

• [ESSENTIAL] requirements are considered absolute, and a product would not be considered acceptable if these criteria were absent.
   
• [DESIRABLE] criteria could be absent with good cause or mitigation, but a user should exercise caution when choosing a solution should these criteria be absent.
   
• [OPTIONAL] features cover caveats that may not apply to all solutions and, where present, may have essential or desirable stipulations.

We advise members not to use any logbook product that doesn’t meet the essential requirements.

Obviously, we encourage you to use our approved logbook standards. We’re grateful to SCATA for their work on these standards and, we hope our members find this guidance helpful and informative.