Improving Clinical Excellence in Anesthesia Care
For decades, standards of anesthesia care have advanced rapidly. Considering that it was only in the mid 1970s that the use of ether as an anesthetic ended, it is truly impressive to think about how far the delivery of anesthesia care has come in a short period of time. With this tremendous advancement comes significant responsibility. Anesthesia providers today must be vigilant in implementing new standards of care that are proven to result in better clinical outcomes.
What is Clinical Excellence?
Clinical excellence, in terms of anesthesia, involves education, research and policy creation. As new drugs, devices and pain management strategies are studied and approved for use, anesthesia providers must become educated on them. Additionally, anesthesia providers must stay up-to-date on technological advancements that streamline data collection. At CCI Anesthesia, we promote clinical excellence by providing collaboration and leadership opportunities for our anesthesia providers that will help to keep them on the leading edge of clinical excellence and innovation.
Pre-Anesthetic Considerations for Clinical Excellence
There are many pre-anesthetic considerations for clinical excellence that should be top-of-mind for every anesthesia provider. Importantly, collaboration between surgical and anesthesia teams is critical in alleviating speed bumps surrounding the complexities of anesthesia. Clear communication can also help prevent delays and cancellations, thereby reducing costs. Oftentimes, preanesthetic planning efforts can be improved to allow the anesthesia team a level of comfort with their anesthesia protocols while making adjustments based on individual patient needs. A preanesthetic plan, addressing all phases of anesthesia care including perioperative analgesia throughout each phase, is essential for clinical excellence.
Intraoperative Anesthetic Considerations for Clinical Excellence
Changing intraoperative anesthetic processes can be difficult, especially when the changes are a dramatic departure from the status quo. Barriers to implementing these changes can be mitigated by achieving team buy-in on clinical excellence goals. Anesthesia providers should understand that new strategies and processes are backed by evidence-based outcomes. This understanding comes from open and consistent communication from leadership. CCI Anesthesia providers regularly hear from our clinical leaders on the latest innovations in anesthesia care and are generally eager to implement new, evidence-based practices.
Postoperative Anesthetic Considerations for Clinical Excellence
The time anesthesia providers spend with patients after surgery is valuable. Because of this, there are more studies being done now than ever before on postoperative anesthetic considerations for patients. For example, anesthesia providers can consider scheduling non-opiates when appropriate as part of an effort to reduce postoperative nausea. These types of enhanced recovery pathways can be used across any service line to reduce the patient’s surgical stress response, optimize their physiologic function and facilitate recovery. Strategic postoperative anesthetic considerations are key to reducing time spent in PACU and thereby increasing efficiencies.
Ensuring Clinical Excellence in Your Anesthesia Department
Finding anesthesia providers who are clinically excellent is our specialty. Our anesthesiologists and CRNAs are experienced, accountable and open-minded to implementing new evidence-based practices and processes. We routinely hire anesthesia providers who are researchers, teachers and renown experts in the field of anesthesia care. Additionally, we strongly support our anesthesia providers in their pursuit of new knowledge through continuing education and research opportunities. Knowledge is power, and when your anesthesia providers are clinically excellent, it can help your facility reach its efficiency goals.
Contact us today at 800.494.3948 for more information on our approach to enhancing clinical excellence for our clients. Our anesthesia experts are eager to help you improve the quality of your anesthesia services.