The Perception of the Anesthesiologist Among the Medical, Paramedical and Administrative Staff

Abstract

Introduction: Anesthesia remains a young medical discipline still relatively unknown by the general public and probably by some health professionals. The objective of the study was to evaluate the perception of anesthesiologist by health professionals working with this specialty.

Methods: We distributed a computerized survey to physicians, residents, paramedical, midwives, and administrative staff in different hospitals between April and July 2018 in Normandy, France. The survey included 38 questions on 6 different topics: communicated image, skills and knowledge, communication, place in patient care, workload, and initial anesthesiologist formation. The survey was validated by a semi-directive interview methodology. A Likert scale from ×2 to +2 ("completely disagree" to "completely agree") was used for each item.

Results: Six hundred and twenty five out of 2,000 surveys sent were analyzed. The anesthesiologist conveys an image of serenity (+0.94 ± 0.79), has a high degree of responsibility (+1.72 ± 0.59) with important decision-making power (+1.39 ± 0.82). He guarantees patient safety and comfort (+1.07 ± 0.88) with his/her dual competence in anesthesia and intensive care (+1.36 ± 0.82). Anesthesiology requires teamwork (+1.68 ± 0.58) and good communication skills (+1.48 ± 0.73). The anesthesiologist is not perceived as a service provider (-0.33 ± 1.15) but is the physician responsible for perioperative care (+1.69 ± 1.00). His/her workload is moderately perceived as high (+0.71 ± 1.17) but is confronted with potentially conflictual relationships with colleagues from other specialties (+1.40 ± 0.68) and stressful situations (+1.44 ± 0.80).

Conclusion: The overall perception of the anesthesiologist in our study appears to be good.

Keywords: anesthesiologist; health professionals; paramedical staff; perception; sociology.

Figure 1

Study design. For Likert scale, data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). CRNA, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist; CCU, intensive Care Unit; NA, Nursing Assistant; ORN, Operating Room Nurse; PACU, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit; SRN, State Registered Nurse.

Figure 2

(A) Mean evaluation for each question of the survey on a Likert scale from −2 to +2. (B) Mean evaluation for each question of the survey on a Likert scale from −2 to +2.

Figure 3

Mean Evaluation on a Likert scale from -2 to +2 for: Question 2, Is the anesthesiologist a professional available? (A) Question 3, Is the anesthesiologist a service provider? (B) Question 8, Is the anesthesiologist a professional recognized by the patient? (C) Question 22, All acts of anesthesia can be transferred to the certified registered nurse anesthetist? (D) Question 29, Does the anesthesiologist have too much workload? (E). ^*P < 0.05 vs. Med; ^**P < 0.01 vs. Med; ^****P < 0.0001 vs. Med; ^#P < 0.05 vs. MW, ^##P < 0.01 vs. MW. Med, Medical staff; MW, Midwives.