Tag: American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

Anesthesiology Standards Shouldn’t be Different in Hospital and Outpatient Settings

Written by Lynn Razzano RN, MSN, ONC-C (Clinical Nurse Consultant, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety).

When preventable medical errors occur, one of the very first questions asked by patients, families, the legal system, the press, and the public is: “were appropriate care standards met?”. As a professional Registered Nurse, I look at this question from a quality and patient safety perspective to ask what could have been done differently? What are the best practice medical standards, and why are they not applied across the US health care systems? How applicable should the medical standard of care be? And how do we, as clinicians and patient advocates, define the best practice standard of care?

The reality is that the definition of best practice and standard of care differs between acute care hospital settings and outpatient surgery centers. And, even then, the standard of care being applied by the ambulatory surgical center, anesthesiologist and the gastroenterologist may not be the same. Continue reading “Anesthesiology Standards Shouldn’t be Different in Hospital and Outpatient Settings”

Lack of Prescriber Opioid Knowledge May Lead to Adverse Events or Death

A recent survey shows that a lack of knowledge of opioids among medical students, residents, and attending physicians could lead to adverse events or death. The survey was conducted at the anesthesiology, surgery, obstetrics and medicine departments at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Continue reading “Lack of Prescriber Opioid Knowledge May Lead to Adverse Events or Death”

Should operating room standard of care apply outside the operating room?

by Michael Wong

What happens when the accepted standard of care in one situation is not applied in another situation?

As a recent USA Today investigation indicates, the consequences to the patient can be deadly or debilitating. As well, it can be costly for the healthcare provider and facility found liable for damages. Continue reading “Should operating room standard of care apply outside the operating room?”

Take Our Survey on ASA Standards & APSF Recommendations

For a chance to win an iPad 2, please take our survey and tell us what you think of the current American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) recently released recommendations and conclusions on electronic monitoring strategies to detect drug-induced postoperative respiratory depression. Continue reading “Take Our Survey on ASA Standards & APSF Recommendations”

How safe are herbal remedies and supplements?

by Michael Wong

According to a recent study published in BMC Medicine, most of the herbal products studied did not provide key safety information which consumers need for their safe use. Continue reading “How safe are herbal remedies and supplements?”