À partir des années 1980, les sociétés d'anesthésie-réanimation ont produit des Recommandations ou Standards s'appliquant à la pratique de l'anesthésie et dont le principal est consacré à la surveillance du patient en cours d'anesthésie. Ils ont été suivis de textes d'aide à la décision, sous forme de conférences d'experts, de conférences de consensus et de recommandations pour la pratique clinique. Ce travail fait le point sur les publications françaises et les compare aux principaux textes étrangers.

This article reviews the development of Standards, Recommendations and Guidelines for practice in anaesthesiology in France and other countries. The French society for anaesthesia and intensive care (Sfar) has published, since 1989, 11 basic Standards : 1) Recommendations for the monitoring of patients during anaesthesia (June 1989, amended on January 1994) APSF Newsletter, Summer 1990, page 22 ; 2) Recommendations for postanaesthesia monitoring and care (September 1990) ; 3) Recommendations for preanaesthesia care (September 1991) ; 4) Recommendations for anaesthetic apparatus and checking before use (January 1994) ; 5) Recommendations for the equipment of anaesthesia working places (January 1995) ; 6) Recommendations for the tasks of the nurse anaesthetist (January 1995) ; 7) Recommendations for hygiene standards in anaesthesia practice (December 1997) ; 8) Recommendations for outpatient anaesthesia (September 1990) ; 9) Recommendations for the practice of obstetrical analgesia (September 1992) ; 10) Recommendations for interhospital physician-accompanied transfers (December 1992) ; 11) Recommendations for intrahospital physician-accompanied transfers (February 1994) . Additionally the Sfar produced or coproduced 9 Experts'conferences, 15 Consensus conferences and 5 Guidelines for clinical practice.