Declaring that
surgical and obstetrical patients can rest assured because anesthesia has never
been safer, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) President
Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, announced that National Nurse Anesthetists Week in
2008
will be celebrated during the week of January 20-26 .
Data support Wilson’s
statements. Studies have shown that anesthesia mortality
rates during the last 20 years have dramatically reduced to the present low of one death for every 240,000
anesthetics. Thanks to improved technology and pharmaceuticals, and increased
education for nurse anesthetists and physician anesthesiologists, anesthesia
safety is at an all-time high.
"CRNAs administer approximately 27 million anesthetics in the United States each year," said Wilson.
"Nurse
Anesthetists have been providing high-quality anesthesia care for more than 100
years. Patient safety is, and always has been, the number one priority for nurse
anesthetists. We administer to the patient’s physical and emotional needs,
offer reassurance and comfort, and stay right by the patient’s side throughout
the surgery. These are the hallmarks of a CRNA," said Wilson.
CRNAs practice in
every setting in which anesthesia is delivered, including traditional hospital
surgical suites, obstetrical delivery rooms, physicians’ offices, ambulatory
surgical centers, and medical facilities of the U.S. Military, Public Health
Service, and Veterans Administration.
In rural settings,
CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers in nearly two-thirds of all hospitals.
Providing guidance
and direction for the nation’s 36,000 CRNAs is the AANA. Headquartered near
Chicago, AANA has been at the forefront of establishing clinical practice
standards for the nurse anesthesia profession for 76 years.
"I can only
envision that the quality of anesthesia care will continue to improve,"
said Wilson. "You can bet CRNAs will be at the forefront of ensuring
patient comfort and safety. After all, isn’t the patient’s well-being really
what it’s all about?"
