Search

Cardiotocography (CTG) to monitor foetal heart rate is frequently used on the labour ward to monitor for foetal distress. Interpretation of CTG is routinely undertaken by the obstetric and midwifery teams to guide labour interventions, along with the mode and urgency of delivery. Anaesthetists are a key member of the multidisciplinary team, and we should therefore understand CTG. This knowledge can then help with joint decision-making, provide an additional set of eyes observing for foetal distress, and be an aid for choosing an anaesthetic technique.

Current training

The 2021 curriculum mentions CTG knowledge in both Stage 1 and in the Obstetric Anaesthesia Specialist Interest area.¹ However, there is a lack of clarity on how to obtain it. Despite there being excellent resources available for anaesthetists to learn about CTG interpretation, it is not formally taught or assessed.² It is left to the individual anaesthetist in training to obtain this knowledge, creating a lack of consistency in knowledge among anaesthetists.

The NHS is facing a significant change due to changing demographics and needs of the population and workforce gaps, leading to a rise in international recruitment.

This has led to Health Education England setting out the national vision for the use of simulation to deliver high-quality patient care. Simulation enhances patient safety through a rehearsal of performance, multidisciplinary teamwork, decision-making, and communication skills. Simulation can be a powerful tool for change management, both as an educational tool and as a lens to the system design and processes.

They're the fresh faces of anaesthesia and the future of our specialty.

We introduce you to some of our newest anaesthetists in training. We hope all of them and the rest of our trainees have very long, rewarding, and fulfilling careers as anaesthetists.

In the operating theatre environment, the perpetual demands, emotional toll, and the need for precision contribute to the potential vulnerability of anaesthetic staff to burnout.

What is burnout?

Burnout, as recognised by the World Health Organization in the International Classification of Diseases, is a syndrome characterised by ‘symptoms’ in three domains:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• increased mental distance from the job or feelings of negativity and cynicism related to the job
• reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout is not classified as a ‘health condition’. Instead, it is an occupational phenomenon and due to chronic, unmanaged, workplace stress. People who are burned out are also at high risk of developing mental health conditions, for example depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

Anaesthetic room walls are often covered with various posters and warnings reminding staff about recent incidents or safety hazards. Signs prompt us where to find dantrolene or intralipid, or how to confirm tube placement. 

When the RCoA changed its branding in 2016, professional designers were called in and consulted on the changes. When creating clinical informatics however, it is often left to clinicians; but a complex series of decisions that combine aesthetics, psychology, and ergonomics are required to make presentation effective.

In this, the first of a series of articles, we will explore some of the issues relevant to presenting information, beginning with iconography.

Interested in standing for a place on College Council? Self-nominations are currently open for three consultant positions and two positions for anaesthetists in training.

We asked Chris Taylor, Consultant Council member, and Catherine Bernard, Anaesthetist in Training Council member, why they decided to stand in last year’s election, and more.

Following our 2023 elections, we're delighted to have Dr Jon Chambers, Dr Paul Southall and Dr Sophie Jackman join our Council as consultant and anaesthetist in training members.

Dr Sarah Ramsay and Dr Matt Tuck have been re-elected for a second term as consultant and anaesthetist in training members respectively.

Dr David Urwin will be joining Council as a co-opted anaesthetist in training member, covering one of our trainee members who is on maternity leave.

We asked Jon, Paul, Sophie and David why they decided to stand for election – and more.

Welcome to the April 2023 anaesthetist in training (AiT) edition of the Bulletin. As I write this, NHS doctors in training are imminently embarking on industrial action following an unequivocal ballot; unprecedented since 2016. Whatever your opinion on industrial action, the common thread is that these are intense times for those of us within the NHS. It is often these times, however uncertain and unsettling, that further solidarity for the betterment of care for patients and each other. The conversations I have had with anaesthetists across the UK bring forth this sentiment; we are in this together.

‘Adapting to change’ is the theme for this edition of the Bulletin. No better place to start than to introduce our new anaesthetist in training members of the Bulletin’s editorial board, Dr Lauren Elliott and Dr Nipun Agarwal, who have been an absolute joy to work with for this issue.