Anesthesia staffing, communication, patient safety: Q&A with OR Manager Conference speakers

Editor's Note

Capacity issues persist within the anesthesia workforce, leaving perioperative leaders tasked with maintaining efficient operations and safe practices for patients through surgery.

We spoke with leaders from SCA Health, Stormont Vail Health, and Heartland Anesthesia & Consulting to find out other challenges anesthesia providers are facing, and how said issues are being addressed.

Scarcity, communication identified as top challenges

Scarcity: Shortage of anesthesia providers is a core issue for all perioperative leaders. Lindsay Lowder, vice president anesthesia services, SCA Health, says, “This scarcity has led to a dramatic shift in many markets in provider expectations and created a fundamental tension as we try to ensure stable coverage within our facilities and anesthesia providers try to meet surgeon and proceduralist expectations.”

Communication: Given the nature of the anesthesia provider’s schedule during the surgical day, communication becomes an issue in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), as “providers are occupied providing anesthesia care for your patrons and are generally not present within the facility beyond daytime hours,” shares Mindy Gingery, MSN, CRNA, ARNP, president, Heartland Anesthesia & Consulting. Further communication challenges may be “exacerbated by a rotation of several anesthesia personnel with no defined communication point person.”

PACU efficiency: To maintain optimized throughput and patient outcomes after surgery, PACU nurses “must be able to assess the patient very efficiently before the [anesthesia] provider needs to leave the bedside,” which means coordination of care through Phase 1 is pivotal, express Thaina Dos Santos Jensen, BSN, RN, acute care registered nurse, and Jenny James, BSN, RN, CPAN, RN, perioperative care, at Stormont Vail Health, “Any needs for the patient directly related to the effects of anesthesia or surgery are best addressed with the administering provider at the time of handoff.”

Advice for managing anesthesia resources effectively

Lowder and Gingery tout communication again as a core component in managing anesthesia. Lowder believes “it is critical to have open lines of communication with your anesthesia provider. Treating those providers as partners and making a good-faith effort to see your facility operations through the lens of the anesthesia provider’s business is critically important.”

Gingery agrees, saying “there must be guidelines in place to outline provider needs and avoid a surprise bill or the incorrect number of providers on a given day. Either of these preceding situations can affect your financial bottom line, and most importantly, your surgeons and patrons.”

While in the PACU, “nurses need to be knowledgeable in both common and uncommon reactions,” say Dos Santos Jensen and James. “Although most nurses will anticipate common symptoms, there are lesser-known complications as well. A patient experiencing Emergence Agitation is generally completely disoriented and unable to be reoriented.” This becomes a safety risk for both the patient and the staff that teams must be prepared to address.

With the bad, comes the good: Most rewarding aspect of working with anesthesia

“Anesthesia providers are very knowledgeable and skilled. The most rewarding aspect of working with these providers is the collaboration of care between specialties. Developing relationships with them and earning their respect and trust is highly gratifying. Coordination of care for these patients can be seamless and highly effective when a positive and long-standing relationship between the RN and the provider has been established.” —Thaina Dos Santos Jensen, BSN, RN, and Jenny James, BSN, RN, CPAN

“If you develop a good daily working relationship with your anesthesia partners, they can serve as an ally within your facility, a true partner in the development of surgical standardization practices, as well as provide support to your nursing staff.” —Mindy Gingery, MSN, CRNA, ARNP

“Partnering together to deliver exceptional patient care in our facilities!” —Lindsay Lowder

Learn more about benefits, strategies for partnering with anesthesia

The above experts will be presenting key sessions on anesthesia care and operations at the 2024 OR Manager Conference, taking place October 28-30, 2024, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Join us for their sessions and gain more insights into addressing the anesthesia staffing shortage, drafting contracts with anesthesia, and addressing emergence agitation in postanesthesia care.

To learn more about the OR Manager Conference and register to attend, visit our website.