Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2012
ReviewBlended learning in anesthesia education: current state and future model.
Educators in anesthesia residency programs across the country are facing a number of challenges as they attempt to integrate blended learning techniques in their curriculum. Compared with the rest of higher education, which has made advances to varying degrees in the adoption of online learning anesthesiology education has been sporadic in the active integration of blended learning. The purpose of this review is to discuss the challenges in anesthesiology education and relevance of the Universal Design for Learning framework in addressing them. ⋯ This review examines recent literature pertaining to this field, both in the realm of higher education in general and medical education in particular, and proposes the application of a comprehensive learning model that is new to anesthesiology education and relevant to its goals of promoting self-directed learning.
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Patient safety is topical today. Competent professionals are necessary to keep anesthesia care safe, and teaching trainees is an important element in safety work. The purpose of this review is to present the latest research on anesthesia training and trainees. ⋯ Much research about anesthesia training concerns simulator training and assessment of trainees' competence. More research is needed to understand the process of learning anesthesia.
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To summarize the currently available data on malpractice claims related to ambulatory anesthesia and provide an insight into the emerging patterns of anesthesia liability in this practice setting. ⋯ With steady increase in outpatient surgery, anesthesiologists are confronted with new areas of liability. More data are needed to identify these risks and reduce exposure to malpractice claims.
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Office-based anesthesia is a new and growing subspecialty within ambulatory anesthesia. We examine major developments in office-based anesthesia and how patient safety can be maintained. ⋯ There is no uniform standard of care for performing procedures in the office-based setting. Healthcare providers are facing the challenge of creating a safer, efficient, cost-effective and patient-centered environment. Available data show that the office-based practice can be as safe as any ambulatory surgicenter or hospital, as long as patients, regulators, and physicians become educated advocates of safer practices. In addition, procedures can be performed safely with general anesthesia or conscious sedation, provided that there are properly trained personnel and adequate equipment and facilities. Moreover, physicians should be credentialed to perform the same procedure in a hospital that they perform in an office.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2012
ReviewRecovery after orthopedic surgery: techniques to increase duration of pain control.
Ambulatory surgery continues to expand in scope and volume. Part of this development is supported by improvements in anesthesia care, especially in the realm of postoperative analgesia, which is often outlasted by the pain. The purpose of this review is to outline methods of increasing the duration of postoperative pain control. ⋯ The ideas and findings described in this review are taken from the most recent literature and show promise of aiding in the continued improvement of patient care through their dissemination and refinement by further research. Of the modalities reviewed in current use, the continuous perineural catheter combined with systemic multimodal analgesics represents the best combination of safety and efficacy to provide prolonged postoperative analgesia.