In early October, ASA, in partnership with the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN), completed a 13-minute, patient-education videotape titled “Anesthesia and You.” This educational resource, which is available in VHS or DVD format, is designed to provide practical information on anesthesia for adult patients undergoing elective surgery in hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers.

The videotape or DVD can be easily utilized via a portable television set with VHS or DVD features, such as in a preoperative clinic, or it can even be displayed via in-house hospital television networks on a continuous or intermittent basis.

It is the intent of the Committee on Communications to make this new patient educational material available in every surgical setting in the United States — free of charge. While some hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers have already created their own custom-made productions, most facilities will find this videotape useful in preparing patients for their anesthetic experience. The production of this videotape was made possible by a very generous educational grant from Baxter Healthcare and with the cooperation of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.

The inaugural showing of “Anesthesia and You” occurred at the recent ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, with segments being shown in the Baxter exhibit booth as well as in the communications booth of the ASA Resource Center in the Exhibit Hall. Recognizing the informative yet compact elements of the videotape, many practicing anesthesiologists in attendance filled out request cards indicating their interest in receiving a video or DVD for their practice settings.

In January 2004, representatives of Baxter will begin distributing the “Anesthesia and You” video, either on VHS or DVD, to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers across the country. Anesthesiology department chiefs and recovery room personnel will be contacted to help place this resource in institutions where needed. Those anesthesiologists who want to ensure that they receive a copy of the videotape should contact their local Baxter Healthcare representatives or the ASA Communications Department.

For many years, ASA has provided a variety of patient education brochures, pamphlets and slide shows focused on general or specialty-based roles of anesthesiologists. This is the first time that ASA has offered a videotape for preoperative patient preparation on anesthesia-related issues. Several years ago, ASPAN produced a series of three videotapes that discussed general anesthesia, regional anesthesia and monitored anesthesia care. In an effort to update those tapes, ASPAN leaders approached ASA for assistance. This new production by ASA and ASPAN represents a successful joint effort to create a succinct yet broad presentation of the many options that patients face when anesthesia is to be used for their surgical procedure.

Much appreciation for their contributions to this project is given to: Regina King, Associate Director, Professional Relations, Baxter Healthcare, for facilitating Baxter’s financial support; Wendy B. Binstock, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Chicago Medical School, for agreeing to participate in the video; Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Chicago, for offering the use of the university’s facilities for filming; Richard Carra of Sedgewick Productions and his crew for their excellence in making this idea a vivid reality; and members of the ASA Committee on Communications, as well as Dina Krenzischek, R.N., President-Elect of ASPAN, for their contributions in scripting and editing. Philip S. Weintraub, ASA Director of Communications, was the consummate and authoritative guiding light in this endeavor and can also be seen in a cameo role in the production.

R. Lawrence Sullivan, Jr., M.D., is staff anesthesiologist at O’Connor Hospital, San Jose, California.