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Showing results for tags 'Anaesthetist'.
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Content ArticleIn December 2024, the General Medical Council (GMC) will start regulating physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs). The GMC have developed proposed rules, standards and guidance setting out how they will regulate these professions. They have also developed draft principles that will inform the content of decision-making guidance that will apply to doctors as well as to PAs and AAs from December 2024. This consultation is about those rules, standards and guidance and those principles. It is not about who should regulate PAs and AAs. This consultation asks for your comments on the General Medical Council's proposed rules, standards and guidance that set out how they will regulate anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (PAs). The consultation is open from 26 March to 11.59pm on 20 May 2024.
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Content ArticleThis study examines the variability in how different anaesthesia providers approach patient care, to provide insight into the source and necessity of variations in practice, the implications of different individual preferences and the subsequent consequences on approaches to safety that emphasise standardisation. The authors argue that the differences in how anaesthesia providers approach their work call into question whether ‘standardisation’ is always the best approach to improve safety in anaesthesia. They state that this work reinforces the idea that it is the humans in the system, with their flexibility and expertise, who are the primary source of everyday safety.
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Content ArticlePeripheral nerve blocks (PNB) are safe and effective alternatives or supplements to general anaesthesia. They may improve pain control both during and after surgery, thus avoiding many of the side effects of systemic opioids. PNBs may also lead to improved patient satisfaction, decreased resource utilization, and may be better for the environment by decreasing usage of aesthetic gases and other medications. With the growing use of peripheral nerve blocks in the United States, this paper examines safety issues surrounding the procedures. It examines the safety of nerve blocks as it relates to: nerve injury recognition and treatment of local anaesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) appropriate health care professional performance of timeouts to avoid wrong-site blocks.
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Content Article
Latest issue of the Operating Theatre Journal
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Surgery
A monthly journal for all operating theatre staff covering surgical and anaesthesia news. -
Content ArticleThere’s been much discussion in the press and on social media about the role of physician associates and anaesthetic associates. Who exactly are they, and how are they trained? The Department of Health and Social Care says that they’re “trained in the medical model”—but what does this actually mean? Helen Salisbury gives her thoughts in this BMJ opinion piece.
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Content ArticlePhysician associates (PAs) work alongside doctors and form part of the multidisciplinary team. They work across a range of specialties in general practice, community and hospital settings. Anaesthesia associates (AAs), sometimes also known as physicians’ assistants (anaesthesia), work as part of the anaesthetic team. They provide care for patients before, during and after their operation or procedure. This General Medical Council (GMC) page outlines the roles of PAs and AAs and what the regulation will look like.
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Content ArticleThe Medical Protection Society (MPS) is a member-owned, not-for-profit protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. Here is there response to the Department of Health and Social Care consultation which introduces the regulation for Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs).
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Event
Patient Safety Conference 2023 - Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group
Sam posted an event in Community Calendar
The Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group (SALG) Patient Safety Conference will be held virtually this year on Thursday 23 November 2023. The first session will include engaging lectures around the current work of SALG, and the second session will focus on topical issues in relation to a selected group or society (yet to be announced). There will be a prize session for accepted abstracts, with a poster section and oral presentations. This online conference is being organised by SALG co-chairs, Dr Peter Young from the Association of Anaesthetists, Dr Felicity Platt, Royal College of Anaesthetists The day will provide valuable knowledge for doctors engaged in clinical anaesthesia, pain management and intensive care medicine, and who have an interest in improving patient safety. Register -
Content ArticleA recent paper (from clinicians and Human Factors specialists at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust) jointly supported by Elsevier and BJA Education clarifies what Human Factors (HF) is by highlighting and redressing key myths. The learning objectives from the paper are as follows: Identify common myths around HF Describe what HF is Discuss the importance of HF specialists in healthcare Distinguish the importance of a systems-based approach and user-centred design for HF practice. It explains that HF is a scientific discipline in its own right, a complex adaptive system very much like healthcare. Its principle have been used within healthcare for decades but often in an informal way. A link to the summary of the article on Science Direct and further links to purchase the paper can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2058534923000963?dgcid=author
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News ArticleThe trust at the centre of a maternity scandal insists it has been providing immediate anaesthetic cover for obstetric emergencies, contrary to an NHS England report suggesting it had not and had been potentially breaching safety standards. Health Education England – now part of NHSE – visited William Harvey Hospital in March and was told senior doctors in training who were covering obstetrics could also be covering the cath lab – which deals with patients who have had a heart attack, and could receive trauma, paediatric emergency and cardiac arrest calls. This suggested the trust was in conflict with Royal College guidelines which state an anaesthetist should always be “immediately available” for obstetrics. East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, originally told HSJ its rota had very recently been changed and that an anaesthetist with primary responsibility for maternity could leave any other work to attend to a maternity emergency immediately. However, it has since said it has been the case for a long time that an anaesthetist is available to return to maternity in case of an emergency. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 June 2023
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News Article
Maternity unit breached safety standards
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A trust at the centre of a maternity scandal has been failing to meet Royal College standards in one of its maternity units, HSJ can reveal. The duty anaesthetist for the maternity unit at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford has also had to cover the hospital’s primary percutaneous coronary intervention suite. This could mean no anaesthetist is available to carry out an emergency Caesarean if they are needed to treat a heart attack patient. This goes against Royal College of Anaesthetists’ guidelines, which say a duty anaesthetist must be “immediately available for the obstetric unit 24/7”. The guidelines add that where the duty anaesthetist has other responsibilities – because, for example, they work at a smaller maternity unit where the workload does not justify them being there exclusively – then “these should be of a nature that would allow the activity to be immediately delayed or interrupted should obstetric work arise”. The William Harvey unit is East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust’s major birth centre. The trust has around 6,500 births a year – the majority at the WHH – and was heavily criticised for poor maternity care in a report by Bill Kirkup last year. Read full story Source: HSJ. 17 July 2023 -
Content Article
Mandy Anderton is a Clinical Nurse specialising in learning disability and a hub Topic Leader. In this new blog, Mandy explains how they are using shared decision making and reasonable adjustments to implement a new care pathway, where patients with a learning disability needing to undergo a medical investigation can receive deep sedation within their own home. Working with patients, carers, relatives, anaesthetists and others, the aim is to improve access to important medical investigations with minimal distress, where other avenues have been exhausted. -
Content ArticleThis correspondence published in Anaesthesia reflects on the recent guidance released by the Difficult Airway Society and the Association of Anaesthetists, 'Implementing human factors in anaesthesia: guidance for clinicians, departments and hospitals'. The authors highlight that although the guidance is a positive step forward in improving system safety in anaesthesia, there is a need to include a broader range of Human Factors (HF) specialists in the development of guidelines such as these. They call for a higher level of collaboration between clinicians and HF specialists to ensure that healthcare system safety can benefit from years of HF expertise.
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Content ArticleThe Association of Anaesthetists (AoA) has developed a set of resources to help NHS staff and boards tackle the impact of healthcare worker fatigue. Part of the AoA's #FightFatigue campaign, these resources can be downloaded as a whole package or separate items.
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Content ArticleThis practical advice and guidance from the Association of Anaesthetists aims to help anaesthetists and other healthcare staff to look after their mental wellbeing. It covers the following topics: Achieving a work/life balance Using mindfulness Managing stress Coping with death Dealing with bullying Guidelines to help anaesthetists at risk of suicide
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Content Article
Useful tips to aid sleep (Association of Anaesthetists)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Staff safety
This article by the Association of Anaesthetists offers guidance for healthcare workers on how to get a good sleep. It includes advice on the following techniques and ideas: Unchallenge your brain Have a hot bath Sleep in a way that works for you Be prepared Power napping tips -
Content ArticleIn this episode of the Coffee and a Gas podcast, consultant anaesthetists Dr Roopa McCrossan and Dr Emma Plunkett talk about fatigue and how they pioneered the Association of Anaesthetists' Fight Fatigue campaign.
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Content Article
Poster - Working well at night (RCOA, 8 November 2018)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Staff safety
This poster by the Royal College of Anaesthetists, The Association of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine outlines practical principles for minimising the impact of fatigue for staff working night shifts. It includes tips for what to do before nights, during nights and between nights and advice on recovery after nights. -
Content Article
Fatigue: are you at risk? (Association of Anaesthetists)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Staff safety
This article by the Association of Anaesthetists (AoA) defines fatigue, looks at its causes and highlights how healthcare worker fatigue can impact on patient safety. It includes a 'High-risk checklist' outlining factors that could contribute to healthcare worker fatigue including recent illness, use of alcohol and medications and stress. -
Content ArticleIn this article, the Association of Anaesthetists (AoA) outlines its three-point plan to address the culture surrounding healthcare professional fatigue in hospitals and tackle the problem of excessive fatigue. Part of the AoA's #FightFatigue campaign, the plan involves the following aspects: Detection Education Prevention
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Content ArticleThis editorial in Anaesthesia looks at how the term 'human factors' has been applied to different aspects of anaesthesia over the past few years. The author calls for a deeper look at the application of human factors in the field of anaesthesia to ensure systems are designed to minimise the risk of human error and variation.
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Content ArticleThese Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services (GPAS) support the development and delivery of high quality anaesthetic services. GPAS chapters have previously focused on a particular aspect of clinical service delivery. However, experience has identified a requirement in GPAS to describe what it is about a department of anaesthesia itself, beyond the different aspects of the clinical service delivery, that contribute to a successful department. The Good Department chapter has been developed to address this requirement, describing current best practice for developing and managing a safe and high quality anaesthesia service in terms of the non-clinical aspects of the service that underpin the clinical provision. The guidance makes recommendations in terms of: leadership, strategy and management workforce education and training clinical governance support services.
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Content ArticleIn this BMJ opinion piece, Scarlett McNally discusses the revised National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIP2). The original NatSSIPs were designed to prevent “never events”—yet more than 300 occurrences of wrong site surgery, retained objects after procedure, or wrong implant insertion still occur yearly in the UK. NatSSIP2 brings in safety science and human factors, with expectations for organisations including standardisation, harmonisation, training, and audit. "The biggest danger is if the new standards sit on the shelf. With their benefits for patient safety and teamworking, we must accept the repetitive elements and consistently apply these new standards, every time, in every department", writes Scarlett.
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Content Article
In this blog, Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive, Helen Hughes, reflects on a recent discussion about hysteroscopy and patient safety at a conference in January 2023, hosted by the Association of Anaesthetists. -
Content ArticleThe Association of Anaesthetists established a working group to help anaesthetics trainees with safe sleeping patterns. In this blog, Dr Emma Plunkett, consultant anaesthetist and chair of the working group, talks more about new initiatives to fight fatigue and why it’s important to monitor the impact of tiredness in the national training surveys.
