hot topics in anesthesia

Right now, the public is only interested and believing in things the media tells them is important. The buzz that recall is a common event in anesthesia is hogwash, but the media has sunk its teeth into the topic because of its dramatic affect, and the need for higher ratings. It is unfortunate the way the media has turned recall into a fancy frenzy, and implied that anesthesia providers do not know how to do their job.

The general public would be interested to know the amount of responsibility and the multiple duties that go into taking care of a patient in the operating room, besides just sitting there doing one's crossword puzzle. Instead of educating them on the BIS monitor, it would be advantageous to educate the public on what anesthesia providers do for the patient in the operating room. so little is understood by non OR personnel because patients don't want to know, and just want to get through it unscathed w/out thinking about the particulars.

The reality is, the most of the public only cares about whether they will feel or remember anything during the surgery, if they will have post-operative pain or nausea. Otherwise, they do not think about anesthesia. Also, the public generally defers to the surgeon on all things related to their care and procedure. Even though we know it isn't so, most patients think the surgery is more important than the anesthesia.