Dippenaar, Johannes Marthinus (Tinus)2025-04-222025-04-222025-02-28Dippenaar, J.M. 2025, 'The importance of critical incident reporting in anaesthesia', Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 3. doi : 10.36303/SAJAA.3298.2220-1181 (print)2220-1173 (online)10.36303/SAJAA.3298http://hdl.handle.net/2263/102168As a cornerstone of modern surgical and perioperative practice, anaesthesiologists are tasked with ensuring patient comfort and procedural safety during the perioperative period. Anaesthesia, however, remains a high-risk specialty where even minor lapses can lead to catastrophic outcomes. During the last three decades, critical incident reporting (CIR) has emerged as a vital tool in improving patient safety and refining anaesthetic practices.1,2 Despite its proven learning benefits, barriers remain within the anaesthetic community of practice in the implementation of CIR procedures. To address these obstacles, it first requires identification of specific barriers relevant to our own context, followed by cultivating a shift toward transparency, accountability, and continuous learning.en© 2025 The Author(s). Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial Works 4.0 South Africa License (CC BY NC) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.AnaesthesiaCritical incident reporting (CIR)Patient safetySDG-03: Good health and well-beingEditorialArticle