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Dr Moore argues helping patients stop smoking is very much the business of anaesthetists as well as government and public-health initiatives.
As a medical student, someone once told me that helping patients stop smoking was the single best intervention available to us as doctors. I’ve never found a reference for that, but it stuck with me.
While I might not have the evidence for my claim, we do know that each year, smoking-related disease costs the NHS £2.6 billion and causes up to 76,000 deaths. The good news is that rates of smoking are decreasing each year, with the latest figure at 12.9%.
Aside from the general health benefits of quitting, several specific perioperative outcomes exist.
Dr Plessis looks at burnout - what causes it, the impact, signs and symptoms and what we can do to mitigate it.
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.
Dr Sharma and Dr Russell tell us about their climate change course for health professionals from across the globe.
This first report, an assessment of the scientific basis of climate change and its impacts and future risks, highlighted the importance of climate change as a global challenge with universal consequences which required international collaboration, cooperation and action.
Unfortunately, all these years later we haven’t made as much progress as we should have done across the world. The latest (2023) Lancet Countdown Report 'underscores the imperative for a health-centred response in a world facing irreversible harms. Climate inaction is costing lives and livelihoods today, with new global projections revealing the grave and mounting threat to health of further delayed action on climate change’. How can we take action? What can we do? You can all achieve so much more than you believe, and we would like to guide, support and empower you to do so.
It's time for us to take action together.
Dr DeSilva and Dr Tambe review the MTI (Medical Training Initiative) simulation course, its achievements and what they'd like to see happen next.
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.
Dr Ramai Santhirapala hopes you'll find this summer issue uplifting and re-energising during these uniquely difficult times.
Welcome to the summer issue of the Bulletin! As I write this, sunlight is streaming in through my window as an indication that British Summertime has finally arrived in more ways than just the clocks going forward. This issue of the Bulletin will arrive on your preferred digital platform as we come to the close of the term of a distinctly inspirational RCoA president, Dr Fiona Donald. While Dr Donald’s nature is one of immense humility, it is worth reflecting on the unique equanimity one needs as a leader at this time within the NHS (including our specialty) when facing immense challenges, turbulence and uncertainty.
Our full selection of back digital issues has you covered and will keep you up-to-date and informed on what’s happening in our specialty.
Perhaps you’d like to re-read a past issue? Our full selection of back digital issues has you covered and will keep you up-to-date and informed on what’s happening in our specialty. We hope you continue enjoying your membership magazine.
Dr Kumar shares his experience of choosing to act up as an ICU consultant, the intricate process involved, and lessons learnt.
In the dynamic and challenging world of healthcare, the decision to ‘act up’ as an intensive care unit (ICU) consultant is a significant step in a trainee doctor's career.
It marks a pivotal moment where one transitions from the supportive cocoon of training to the forefront of decision-making, all while still enjoying the protective umbrella of being a trainee.
In this article, I share my personal experience to shed light on why I chose to act up, the intricate process involved, and the invaluable lessons learned during this transformative period.
This article provides a useful, summary of the key principles from The GMC’s Guidance on Supporting Information for Revalidation.
In the last Bulletin, I talked about the work done to complete a major review of our supporting information for appraisal and revalidation. The updated documentation is available on our website, and this article provides some extracts on the guidance for collecting colleague and patient feedback.
For collecting patient feedback, the key principles from The GMC’s Guidance on Supporting Information for Revalidation can be summarised as follows.
Dr Peacock and Dr Atkinson share their experience of starting on an anaesthetics rotation straight after medical school.
Whenever we introduce ourselves in the team brief, we tend to get the same response: ‘Anaesthetics? As FY1s? That’s unusual!’ They are right, of course, and we feel lucky to be here! Both of us, unsurprisingly, were very nervous about starting our first jobs as doctors in August.
Fortunately, we settled in quickly thanks to being well supported by the anaesthetic consultants, SASs, anaesthetists in training, and operating department practitioners. We thought it would be a great idea to share our unique experience of starting on an anaesthetics rotation straight after medical school.
Whereas many of our FY1 friends describe endless ward rounds, discharge letters and medications, we’ve had a very hands-on first month – lots of cannulas, airway management, iGels, intubations, and even some spinals. We initially found the idea of one-to-one consultant training quite daunting, this being something we hadn’t encountered much at medical school. However, we couldn’t have been more wrong – we’ve had nothing but positive experiences with our seniors, even if we’re taught a different way to tie a knot and secure the airway by each consultant.