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February 1999
Volume 63 |
Number 2
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| Doctors
Day • 1999: Patient Safety |
The American Society of Anesthesiologists is encouraging its
members to become active in the national observance of Doctors
Day on March 30, 1999, in their hospital or office. ASA members
can be proud that doctors in all medical specialties are honored
on March 30 each year because of the efforts of a physician whose
endeavors specifically related to the specialty of anesthesiology.
On March 30, 1842, Crawford W. Long, M.D., of Jefferson, Georgia,
administered the first ether anesthetic for surgery. His history-making
achievement and the continuous efforts by doctors to alleviate
human suffering have become the basis for celebrating Doctors
Day each year.
The ASA Committee on Communications is coordinating this year's
celebration of Doctors Day with an emphasis on patient safety.
Like Doctors Day, advances in the safety of anesthesia and surgical
procedures are directly related to the achievements in anesthesiology.
Individual and collaborative efforts of anesthesiologists over
the years have resulted in the highest level of safety than at
any previous time in medical history.
How has this been achieved? While the list of individual anesthesiologists
and events would be too numerous to list here, there have been
several milestones in the development of the specialty that are
worth noting.
Since 1905 when the Long Island Society of Anesthetists was
founded, the collaboration by anesthesiologists through their
national organization has resulted in sound, scientific research,
state-of-the-art monitoring, safer anesthetics and the development
of standards of care from which millions of patients have benefited
over the years.
In 1941, the American Society of Anesthesiologists developed
a classification for a patient's physical status before surgery
to alert the medical team to the patient's overall health. The
ASA physical status codes (PS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) are now used
in hospitals all over the world.
The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), established
in 1985, also championed the cause of patient safety, including
the introduction of pulse oximetry. This was followed by ASA's
first medical standard of care for basic intraoperative monitoring
- the first of more than 30 standards, guidelines and statements
that ASA has adopted, which now serve as benchmarks for other
medical specialties to emulate. Moreover, the APSF served as a
model for the National Patient Safety Foundation developed by
the American Medical Association in 1996.
A few facts that you may wish to mention to your patients or
their families so they understand anesthesiologists' contributions
to patient safety are:
- More than 90 percent of the anesthesia provided to patients
in the United States is either administered by an anesthesiologist
or medically directed by an anesthesiologist.
- Anesthesiologists are physicians whose primary role in the
operating room is to make informed medical judgments that protect
and regulate the patient's critical life functions affected
by the surgery being performed. They have the same years of
training as a general surgeon and may have completed an additional
fellowship or subspecialization program.
- ASA was the first medical specialty society to develop and
adopt standards of care for its members as early as 1986. Today,
there are more than 30 standards, guidelines and statements
plus 10 evidence-based practice parameters developed by ASA
to address monitoring standards during surgery as well as anesthesiologists'
direct involvement in patient care before, during and after
surgery and other invasive procedures.
- These advances have resulted in a significant improvement
in patient safety. A recent Harvard study reviewed more than
240,000 anesthetic procedures and found none resulted in death.
Researchers then estimated that perhaps the number of possible
deaths could be estimated at 1:250,000. In other studies involving
healthy outpatients, the risk is even lower - less than 1:400,000.
Both you and your patients will benefit from discussing with
you their care for any surgical, obstetric or pain management
procedure. Patients who are well-informed and who feel involved
in their medical care generally have a safer, more comfortable
anesthetic experience.
Doctors Day is the perfect opportunity to not only alert other
doctors and patients about patient safety but to help all people
understand how physicians are involved in their health care and
to let them know that "Doctors Care." Plan now to be a part of
the Doctors Day*1999 celebration and educate someone about anesthesiology.
ASA members received a copy of the Doctors Day* 1999 poster
with the January NEWSLETTER mailing last month. ASA will
provide additional copies of the poster and other materials on
request for your Doctors Day activity. Contact the ASA Executive
Office, Communications Department, 520 N. Northwest Highway, Park
Ridge, IL 60068-2573; telephone: (847) 825-5586; fax: (847) 825-5658;
e-mail: <communications@ASAhq.org>.
Your state component society, medical society and its alliance
group or your local hospital's public relations office may be
able to provide you with additional resources and ideas for Doctors
Day 1999.
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PLAN NOW TO CELEBRATE Doctors
Day 1999
Doctors Day gives anesthesiologists and the medical
profession as a whole an opportunity to raise public
awareness about physicians' active roles in their
communities. You may wish to plan some activities
that will help to make your colleagues and patients
more aware of the continuing advancements in anesthesiology.
Let others know about anesthesiology's involvement
with and its commitment to better, safer patient
care.
CHOOSE ONE OR MORE OF THESE PROJECTS:
Visit a local preschool or elementary school and
explain the role of doctors (and specifically, anesthesiologists).
Or, participate in the career fair of a high school
or children's museum. Call ASA if you need extra
posters to take with you.
Contact your community newspaper, cable television
station or local radio station and offer to be interviewed
about a relevant health care topic. Make sure to
include your message about the involvement of the
anesthesiologist in patient care - inside and outside
the operating room.
Hold a public education seminar or visit a civic
group to talk about the safety advancements of anesthesiology,
pain management, anesthetic options for childbirth
or the hazards of smoking.
Make arrangements to visit a prenatal class at
your local hospital or community center to talk
about the options for and recent advancements in
anesthesia and analgesia for childbirth. Call ASA
for a prepared speech, slide show or brochures.
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