Welcome to Our New Blog Series On Anesthesiologists

For many people, a major surgery is one of the most vulnerable and critical times in their lives. Surgical patients often have questions around their procedure, their recovery, and the pain they may experience. Another common source of concern is the experience of anesthesia. Sometimes referred to as being “put under” or “put to sleep,” anesthesia is a crucial, but often misunderstood, aspect of health care. 

Thankfully, patients have a medical professional who will guide them through their anesthetic and surgical experience: The anesthesiologist.    

Every time someone has an operation, an anesthesiologist is present to ensure that the patient has a safe and comfortable journey from the time they are booked for surgery, through the actual procedure and post-surgery pain management.

What’s an Anesthesiologist?  
All anesthesiologists are medical doctors who have completed an additional five-to-seven years of specialized training after medical school. While providing anesthetic care to surgical patients is the procedure anesthesiologists are best known for, their impact on the medical system goes far beyond the operating room. Anesthesiologists are a crucial part of the health-care system and are often also experts in palliative care, as well as critical/intensive care. They provide care to all patients, from before birth (anesthesiologists are the physicians who provide labouring women with epidurals) to some patients’ final moments of life. Anesthesiologists are the experts in acute and chronic pain management, the latter of which is a growing health concern that impacts nearly eight million Canadians. Due to the nature of their extensive footprint in health care, anesthesiologists are also frequently found in leadership roles in hospital systems. 

Anesthesiology is a field that requires compassion, diplomacy, and the ability to accurately assess and resolve high-pressure situations. Anesthesiologists are natural leaders and problem-solvers, and we are dedicated to delivering the highest level of patient care possible. 

Who Are Ontario’s Anesthesiologists? 
Ontario is home to over 1,300 active anesthesiologists who are all represented by us, Ontario’s Anesthesiologists (OA). We are a section of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the organization that “represents the political, clinical, and economic interests of Ontario physicians.”

One of our goals is to connect with patients and the public and share with them what anesthesiologists and our organization are doing to deliver the highest standards of innovative, safe and sustainable patient care.

To help reach this goal, we’re launching a series of blog posts that explores our profession, its procedures and how the OA is working to strengthen health care in this province. In our next post, we’ll take a closer look at the specialty of anesthesiology and what it takes to become an anesthesiologist.

A 2019 Photo of just a few of our members who are working on going “beyond the mask”

Another one of our goals is to work on solutions for some of our health-care system’s biggest challenges and to support our members who are engaging with this goal. We call this going “beyond the mask” and we believe that it demonstrates the value our specialty brings to medicine. 

While future blog posts will take a longer look at how we’re doing this, we want to briefly note a few of our key past and current initiatives below: 

Reducing Unnecessary Bloodwork & Testing
Choosing Wisely Canada is an organization that promotes minimization of unnecessary medical tests and procedures. We authored an implementation guide to help hospitals stop the ordering of unneeded bloodwork, ECGs and x-rays, reducing stress on both patients and resources and saving the health system millions of dollars a year. 

Tackling the Opioid & Pain Management Crises
These interlinked challenges are taking a staggering toll on our country. Inadequate pain management impacts one in five Canadians while opioid-related deaths continue to escalate, with over 5,300 deaths in 2021. To help address this important issue, we developed SolvingPain.ca, an online platform that aims to optimize pain control and reduce opioid misuse by empowering Canadian health-care providers with the knowledge they need to provide appropriate, evidence-based pain management and opioid prescribing practices.

Greening Surgical Practices 
There is an incredible amount of waste associated with each surgery. The OA is taking the lead in helping to make operating rooms greener. We are promoting recycling, finding innovative ways to reduce single-use products and working to replace carbon-intensive anesthetic gases with greener alternatives. We are also sharing how hospitals can make changes that benefit not only the planet but also their budgets. 

As key members of the operating room team, anesthesiologists know how to collaborate and manage demanding situations. We have the pulse on surgical backlogs, ideas on how to address human resource pressures and a proven track record on improving the health system. But most importantly, we are invested in ensuring a robust health system for today and the future.

Please join us this year on that journey as we highlight the work of our organization and our members.

If you have any questions for us, please connect with us by reaching out to our team at info@ontariosanesthesiologists.ca