The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) are pleased that the American Medical Association (AMA) has formally adopted 10 fundamental patient safety principles, which should govern physicians performing office-based surgery (OBS) utilizing moderate sedation/analgesia, deep sedation/analgesia,or general anesthesia. The principles, which are identical to ones endorsed by the ACS in October 2003, are based on a document crafted by over 35 organizations during a consensus conference on office-based surgery held earlier in the year. The new OBS patient safety principles address: proper patient selection and informed consent criteria; facility accreditation; emergency transfer protocols; physician training and competency; and guidelines for both physician and medical personnel regarding training in emergency resuscitative techniques and the administration of anesthesia.
"The formal adoption of these fundamental patient safety principles by the two major medical and surgical associations culminates a year-long development process that incorporated the input of several health care organizations," Thomas R. Russell, MD, FACS, Executive Director of the College, said. These groups included representatives from: surgical and medical specialty societies; state medical associations; the National Committee on Quality Assurance; and the major accrediting organizations for ambulatory and office-based surgery.
Currently only a few states have definitive legislation or regulations that address OBS. Dr. Russell said that the American College of Surgeons believes that any state legislative or regulatory activity in this area should be guided by the new OBS principles. "Policymakers need to take a cue from the experts on this issue and work toward adopting the 10 goals laid out in the document. Doing so," he added, "will greatly improve patient safety and enhance the quality of care for patients undergoing surgery or other invasive procedures in the office setting."
According to Roger W. Litwiller, M.D., President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, "ASA has been a strong advocate of efforts designed to improve patient safety in the office. We are pleased that the AMA has adopted a policy addressing a range of issues which we believe are critically important to assure high-quality, safe care."
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 64,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 38,000 physicians and other scientists from around the world engaged or especially interested in the medical specialty of anesthesiology. More than 90 percent of all practicing anesthesiologists in the United States belong to ASA, making it the preeminent voice of the specialty. Since its founding in 1905, ASA has functioned as a research, scientific, and educational resource for anesthesiologists, patients, the public, and policymakers and has continuously provided highly respected guidance and expertise, particularly in patient safety matters.
A copy of the Core Principles on Office-Based Surgery are available on the ACS Web site at http://www.facs.org/patientsafety/patientsafety.html.
