Published: Jan. 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m. by PennLive.com
Patients undergoing surgery or procedures requiring anesthesia are safe when cared for by a physician anesthesiologist, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), or both. The perceived shortage of anesthesia providers (“Pennsylvania doctors are sounding the alarm over health insurers putting profits above patient care,” Jan. 3) relates to outdated and restrictive laws that prevent CRNAs from practicing to their fullest scope.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, practicing in every setting where anesthesia is administered. In fact, nurse anesthetists are usually the last person a patient sees before a surgical procedure begins, and the first they see when they awake. They are with their patients for every breath during the procedure.
Because of their training and experience – the average nurse anesthetist completes an average of 9,369 clinical hours of training prior to becoming a CRNA – numerous medical studies show there is no statistical difference in patient outcomes when a nurse anesthetist provides treatment compared to a physician anesthesiologist, even for rare and difficult procedures.
Physician anesthesiologists’ concerns about safety are undermined by attempts to push regulations that would allow a new category of unlicensed and unproven anesthesia providers, posing serious liability concerns for health-care facilities, driving up health-care costs, and doing absolutely nothing to increase access to anesthesia care in rural and underserved areas, where CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care, often practicing independently.
As health-care demands grow, empowering CRNAs to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training is key to containing costs while maintaining the highest level of care.
Jodie Szlachta, Ph.D., CRNA, President-elect, Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists
