APSF: Patient Safety Leaders

PGY 40,  Day 60

Attenzione!

ANESTHESIOLOGISTS and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF): Encouraging Patient Safety for Decades

Anesthesiologists: Do the survey (link in the email below from R. Stoelting) and support APSF!

Patients: Encourage and support APSF!

Below is my recent email conversation with Robert K. Stoelting, MD, APSF President. It starts from the bottom and works up to the top.

Patients, Providers and Patient Safety Advocates will find it valuable. Anesthesiologists are your PATIENT SAFETY ADVOCATES on the front lines of operating rooms around the world. Don't let the Business of Medicine pressure them to cut corners on patient safety!!!

StepWisely®™© ... Join with me to Encourage Doctors and Patients ... we must work together to OPTIMIZE patient care.

Have a Safe and Love Filled Day!

Dr. Mike
Michael F. Mascia, MD, MPH


From: rstoel7145@aol.com
Date: August 8, 2012 21:53:31 EDT
To: masciam@aol.com
Subject: Re: Request from Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation/Please Consider

Hi Mike:

Thanks for confirming continued support.

I appreciate your comments regarding the checklist initiative but did not realize you were expecting a response. I am pleased with any visibility you can give the survey including sharing the link with colleagues and encouraging participation.  For the moment, APSF needs maximum input to create a template that is compatible with multiple practice models.

Regards,
Bob

rstoel7145@aol.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael F. Mascia MD, MPH <masciam@aol.com>
To: rstoel7145 <rstoel7145@aol.com>
Sent: Sat, Jul 21, 2012 9:35 pm
Subject: Re: Request from Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation/Please Consider


Thanks, Bob, This is GREAT!  I will do my best to work the survey ASAP.

As an advocate for check lists, I have been using them effectively for 30+ years with/to benefit both PATIENTS and RESIDENTS.

Sadly, today's production lines often PUSH Docs to ignore optimal practices, and encourage cutting corners.  I started anesthesiology in 1989 (my second career) under Jane Matjasko, and safety was THE priority at that time. Since then, conditions on the front lines have deteriorated drastically and patients are often neglected for the sake of speed. This is unacceptable for many reasons, not the least of which is "cutting corners" is dangerous, a violation of the Hippocratic Oath, and disregards of the "first do no harm" principle.  And, toward what end? We both know it is speed, which boils down to MONEY. 

My M/O has always been, "Treat the patient as if you are the one going for surgery = you are the patient." & "If it is NOT RIGHT, PUT the BRAKES ON."  When I started, these were workable operating principles.  Now, there are morons in power who would consider my practices "disruptive behavior" and to be sure, they would (and do) complain about the way I work.  Generally, I get away with it, because I ALWAYS put the PATIENT first!

So, the bottom line is this. I am happy to see the APSF take this on, and I will do what I can do ... on the front lines, in the larger community ... and with the APSF.  Operating principles that allow the physician/anesthesiologist to STOP the production line with impunity would go a long way toward protecting the patients.

Thanks for doing what you do.  APSF support is essential for Patients and FRONT LINE PROVIDERS.

Salute! Amore e buona fortuna!
Ciao for now,

Mike Mascia
Michael F. Mascia, MD, MPH
President
Infinity Health Solutions
MFM@IHS ip
On Jul 21, 2012, at 18:54, rstoel7145@aol.com wrote:

           Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
  Building One, Suite Two   8007 South Meridian Street  Indianapolis, IN  46217-2922
                                Tel:  317,885,6610   Fax:  317.888.1482  E-mail:  stoelting@apsf.org
Dear Colleague:

On behalf of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), I am writing to request your participation in helping the foundation create the content of a template for a “Pre-anesthetic Induction Patient Safety (PIPS) Checklist” that could be utilized by anesthesia professionals and anesthesia groups to create a safety checklist that best fits their practices.

Specifically, based on your experience and knowledge, but now as the patient (the passenger rather than the pilot), what would you want to be part of a safety checklist immediately before induction of your anesthetic?

Visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3VHDTJY to express your opinions and contribute to development of the content of the template described above.

The survey is 22 questions and the estimated time to complete is 4-6 minutes.

You are welcome to invite colleagues to also participate in this survey.

Thank you in advance for your participation and contributions to this APSF patient safety initiative.

Sincerely,   
Bob
Robert K. Stoelting, MD
President                  

rstoel7145@aol.com