Step out of the "guardian" under the shadowless lamp - take you to understand the anesthesia clinic

This is the 3027th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

For a long time, anesthesiologists have been guarding surgical patients as "behind-the-scenes heroes" to ensure the safety and comfort of the patients during the entire surgical anesthesia. Anesthesiologists must achieve effective prevention, accurate diagnosis, and timely treatment during the surgical anesthesia process, so they are known as "guardians under the shadowless lamp." However, because the work of anesthesiologists has always been in a "supporting and behind-the-scenes" state, it is easy to be ignored and not understood by the public.

In recent years, with the development of the discipline, anesthesiologists have gradually stepped out of the operating room and actively participated in various tasks outside the operating room. So what can anesthesiologists do outside the operating room? The main skills of anesthesiologists are to reduce pain, increase comfort, and ensure safety. They play a full role outside the operating room in painless gastroenteroscopy, painless abortion, labor analgesia, diagnosis and treatment of cancer pain and chronic pain, interventional treatment, and anesthesia clinics.

However, many patients do not know that the hospital also has an anesthesia clinic. Why should we visit the anesthesia clinic? What can the anesthesia clinic do? What are the benefits of visiting the anesthesia clinic?

Why open an anesthesia clinic?

In the past, anesthesiologists learned about the patient's condition, communicated with the patient or family members, and developed anesthesia plans the day before elective surgery or before emergency surgery. The time for communication between anesthesiologists and patients was usually limited, and many of the patients' practical problems could not be answered in this short "communication". Patients could not have enough trust in anesthesiologists and would bring some questions into the operating room. In addition, preoperative anesthesia visits will also reveal that patients must postpone or suspend surgery due to insufficient preoperative preparation, which will not only increase the patient's anxiety, but also prolong the patient's hospital stay, increase overall medical expenses, and have a certain negative impact on the patient's medical experience.

Therefore, in December 2017, the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "Notice on the Establishment and Management of Anesthesiology Clinics and Nursing Units in Medical Institutions", which proposed "to carry out the construction and management of anesthesiology clinics and nursing units, and medical institutions with the conditions should set up anesthesiology clinics; to carry out business including preoperative risk assessment and preoperative preparation guidance for patients to be operated on, and to provide anesthesia risk assessment, preoperative preparation guidance, anesthesia preparation, etc. for patients with anesthesia needs. It is also necessary to provide patients with postoperative follow-up and recovery guidance".

What are the benefits of visiting an anesthesia clinic?

The opening of the anesthesia clinic is an important step for anesthesiologists to move from "behind the scenes" to "in the front stage", providing an opportunity for anesthesiologists to communicate face-to-face with their service recipients. In the anesthesia clinic, anesthesiologists conduct pre-anesthesia assessments and consultations for patients to facilitate preoperative preparation and reduce surgical risks. Through adequate preoperative communication, patients can reduce their fear of pain and surgery, learn about anesthesia-related precautions, improve anesthesia safety, shorten hospital stays, and reduce hospitalization costs.

Outpatient anesthesia assessment can also optimize the medical treatment process for patients who undergo non-hospitalized painless examinations and treatments. At the same time, it can open a "fast track" for day surgery patients, inform patients in advance of situations where anesthesia is not suitable and the risks involved, and help surgeons and patients adjust their physical conditions to a more stable state before surgery to reduce risks during and after surgery and reduce the waiting time for patients after hospitalization. Moreover, as the number of patients undergoing painless examinations and treatments increases, the anesthesia clinic also ensures that the hospital's related processes can be carried out in an orderly, safe, and reasonable manner.

What can the anesthesia clinic do?

Main business of anesthesia clinic

1. Provide anesthesia consultation and evaluation in advance for patients who may or are to undergo anesthesia, including preoperative examination and anesthesia preparation, informing them of precautions, and selecting appropriate anesthesia methods.

2. Patients who plan to undergo outpatient painless examinations or surgeries such as gastrointestinal endoscopy, abortion, etc. can undergo an anesthesia risk assessment in advance at the anesthesia clinic. After passing the assessment, they can pay the anesthesia fee and make an appointment for the examination.

3. Patients with cardiopulmonary complications who plan to be hospitalized for elective large or medium-sized surgery in the near future can complete preoperative evaluation in the anesthesia evaluation clinic, and the anesthesiologist will provide corresponding guidance and complete preoperative preparation.

4. Perform pre-anesthetic assessment on patients undergoing day surgery.

5. Provide consultation on anesthesia-related issues for outpatients, inpatients and discharged patients.

In response to national policy requirements, the Department of Anesthesiology of Minhang Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University opened an independent anesthesia clinic in April 2019 to provide patients with various medical services including pre-anesthesia assessment, preparation, appointment and consultation, follow-up of anesthesia-related conditions after discharge, and diagnosis and treatment of anesthesia-related complications.

I hope that the anesthesiologists who have stepped out of the shadowless lamp can continue to be the "guardians" of the vast number of patients outside the operating room and protect everyone's physical and mental health.

Working hours of the Anesthesia Assessment Clinic:

Monday to Saturday 8:00-12:00; 13:30-17:00. Please refer to the outpatient office notice for holidays.

Author: Yin Ying

Proofreading: Wu Pinwen