Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Survey Research Report April 26-30, 2014 Survey Overview A study of 800 registered Pennsylvania voters, conducted April 26-30, shows that the vast majority (nearly 90%) wants a physician to administer anesthesia and respond to anesthesia emergencies during surgery. More than half of the survey respondents (52%) said if their state legislators voted to remove the current requirement that a doctor supervise the administration of anesthesia, that would be a good reason not to re-elect them. The survey, conducted by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Va., for the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists, has a margin of error of ±3.5 percent. Summary There is overwhelming support for having doctors administer anesthesia to a patient or having a nurse provide this service under the supervision of a doctor. There is little support for removing the requirement that a doctor supervise the administration of anesthesia by a nurse, and voters would be much less likely to vote for a legislator who supported such a change. A clear majority, 89%, prefer to have a doctor respond to a medical or anesthesia emergency during surgery, while only 6% would prefer to have a nurse. Conclusion There is consistent and overwhelming support among Pennsylvania voters for having a doctor in charge of administering anesthesia. Even stronger is support for having a doctor respond to a medical or anesthesia emergency during surgery. When asked specifically how important is it that a nurse administering anesthesia or responding to anesthesia emergencies be supervised by a doctor, only 5% said “not very” or “not important at all.” These results send a message to lawmakers: more than half of those surveyed said they think it would be reason to not re-elect a state legislator who voted to remove the existing supervision-by-doctor requirement. Pennsylvania Health Department regulations currently require supervision by a doctor. Clearly, Pennsylvania voters do not want this requirement changed. This survey also strongly suggests that any assurances that supervision of anesthesia administration by a doctor will continue to be required in Pennsylvania will be welcomed by its citizens.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 13:11:41 +0000
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