Evaluation of the Time Spent by Anesthetist on Clinical Tasks in the Operating Room.

Background: Changes in the health system in Western countries have increased the scope of the daily tasks assigned to physicians', anesthetists included. As already shown in other specialties, increased non-clinical burden reduces the clinical time spent with patients.

Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted in 6 public and private hospitals in France.

The use of a checklist improves anaesthesiologists' technical and non-technical performance for simulated malignant hyperthermia management.

Background: Anaesthesiologists may occasionally manage life-threatening operating room (OR) emergencies. Managing OR emergencies implies real-time analysis of often complicated situations, prompt medical knowledge retrieval, coordinated teamwork and effective decision making in stressful settings. Checklists are recommended to improve performance and reduce the risk of medical errors.

The concept of a surrogate is ill adapted to intensive care: Criteria for recognizing a reference person.

Purpose: In the intensive care unit (ICU), caregivers may find it difficult to identify a suitable person in the patient's entourage to serve as a reference when there is no official surrogate.

Methods: We developed a 12-item questionnaire to identify factors potentially important for caregivers when identifying a reference person. Each criterion was evaluated as regards its importance for the role of reference.