Nurses are an equal — if not superior — choice to administer anesthesia, said David L. Knowlton, president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, in an editorial for New Jersey Newsroom.
In the editorial, Mr. Knowlton said the NJHCQI staunchly supports the proposal that would let advanced practice nurses administer anesthesia without physician supervision. "The cause of healthcare quality is not advanced by requiring supervision and may, in fact, be harmed," he wrote. "In my view patient safety is the only issue that should matter in this increasingly heated exchange."
Mr. Knowlton said historically, the first professional to provide dedicated anesthesia coverage to a patient was a nurse, with physicians following around 30 years later. He cited the study published in the Aug. 2010 issue of Health Affairs, "No Harm Found when Nurse Anesthetists Work Without Supervision," as evidence that physician supervision has no impact on quality of care.
He concluded, "New Jersey should do the right thing and take the course that leads to better healthcare quality outcomes. The Commissioner of Health & Senior Services should ignore the distracting, economically motivated arguments on this issue and focus only on quality, safety and the health of the patient."
Read the New Jersey Newsroom editorial from David L. Knowlton on physician supervision of anesthesia.
Read more on the debate over anesthesia provision:
-New Jersey CRNA Leader Calls for Anesthesia Provision Changes
-New Jersey Anesthesiologist Calls for Continued Physician Supervision of Anesthesia
-5 Thoughts on the Physician Supervision of Anesthesia Rule From ASA President Dr. Mark Warner
In the editorial, Mr. Knowlton said the NJHCQI staunchly supports the proposal that would let advanced practice nurses administer anesthesia without physician supervision. "The cause of healthcare quality is not advanced by requiring supervision and may, in fact, be harmed," he wrote. "In my view patient safety is the only issue that should matter in this increasingly heated exchange."
Mr. Knowlton said historically, the first professional to provide dedicated anesthesia coverage to a patient was a nurse, with physicians following around 30 years later. He cited the study published in the Aug. 2010 issue of Health Affairs, "No Harm Found when Nurse Anesthetists Work Without Supervision," as evidence that physician supervision has no impact on quality of care.
He concluded, "New Jersey should do the right thing and take the course that leads to better healthcare quality outcomes. The Commissioner of Health & Senior Services should ignore the distracting, economically motivated arguments on this issue and focus only on quality, safety and the health of the patient."
Read the New Jersey Newsroom editorial from David L. Knowlton on physician supervision of anesthesia.
Read more on the debate over anesthesia provision:
-New Jersey CRNA Leader Calls for Anesthesia Provision Changes
-New Jersey Anesthesiologist Calls for Continued Physician Supervision of Anesthesia
-5 Thoughts on the Physician Supervision of Anesthesia Rule From ASA President Dr. Mark Warner