- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 1,062
- Reaction score
- 156
in all the brouhaha that has been stirring recently over whomever can administer whatever drugs to whichever patients they want - namely anesthetics, i wanted to point out and highlight an excellent editorial in the recent ASA newsletter by dr. abenstein, vice speaker on the ASA house of delegates, that highlights some pertinent issues that we need to remind our non-anesthetist colleagues.
http://www.asahq.org/Newsletters/2005/12-05/admin12_05.html
"I believe it is fair to say that most of us are very uncomfortable with nonanesthesiologists administering moderate, much less deep, sedation based on the clinical misadventures we have been asked to rescue. I cannot help but ask: How did we get to this point? What changed that physicians, who were once scared of anesthetics, now feel there is no problem with administering these medications themselves?"
"Unfortunately, when our fellow physicians and the public hear that 'anesthesia is safe,' they think that the drugs must be safe and, by extension, they must be easy to use. Even those who often work with us just see a big syringe followed by a little syringe and an endotrachael tube. To the casual observer, there is nothing to see if disaster is avoided."
and to each of us, our duty as anesthesia clinicians...
"Your department of anesthesiology should engage in an educational effort to highlight the inherent dangers of anesthetics and requirements for their safe use. These include not only the required training and experience of the clinicians who intend to use these medications but also the appropriate technology, personnel and policies and procedures for their use."
this is an excellent opinion, and each of you should read this piece in its entirety, as well as make it a point to remind folks who flippantly believe they can routinely and safely use these medications.
http://www.asahq.org/Newsletters/2005/12-05/admin12_05.html
"I believe it is fair to say that most of us are very uncomfortable with nonanesthesiologists administering moderate, much less deep, sedation based on the clinical misadventures we have been asked to rescue. I cannot help but ask: How did we get to this point? What changed that physicians, who were once scared of anesthetics, now feel there is no problem with administering these medications themselves?"
"Unfortunately, when our fellow physicians and the public hear that 'anesthesia is safe,' they think that the drugs must be safe and, by extension, they must be easy to use. Even those who often work with us just see a big syringe followed by a little syringe and an endotrachael tube. To the casual observer, there is nothing to see if disaster is avoided."
and to each of us, our duty as anesthesia clinicians...
"Your department of anesthesiology should engage in an educational effort to highlight the inherent dangers of anesthetics and requirements for their safe use. These include not only the required training and experience of the clinicians who intend to use these medications but also the appropriate technology, personnel and policies and procedures for their use."
this is an excellent opinion, and each of you should read this piece in its entirety, as well as make it a point to remind folks who flippantly believe they can routinely and safely use these medications.
