Most patients do not know the full extent of an anesthesiologist's duties, according to research from a Rutgers University physician that was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
The researcher found that more than 90 percent of the patients analyzed for the study were aware that anesthesiologists deliver anesthesia, inducing unconsciousness, but fewer than half knew that the anesthesiologist also ensures that patients are fit for surgery; monitors blood loss and provides transfusions, if needed; controls nausea and vomiting; and controls pain following surgery.
The researcher, Ferdinand Iannaccone, DO, an anesthesia resident at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said that improving patients' knowledge of the anesthesiologists' role in their care can help anesthesiologists to provide the best care possible, as patients can prepare themselves for preoperative conversations more effectively.
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