Non-Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA)
TASA ID: 16893
As technology improves in the health care world, more types of medical and surgical interventions are taking place in venues other than the operating room. Stand-alone surgical suites, endoscopy suites, interventional radiology, and dental procedures are just some examples of patient care environments that are an operating room alternative.As convenient as this may be for patients and physicians alike, procedures requiring some degree of anesthesia, aka "nonoperating room anesthesia," need to be held to the same standards and practices as operating rooms to ensure patient safety.
An analysis by Cooper et al. cited that, "inadequate total experience or familiarity with equipment/monitoring, poor communication with the team, haste, inattention/carelessness, and fatigue can contribute to critical incidents." (Youn, A. M., Ko, Y. K., & Kim, Y. H. (2015)
Reducing mortality and other adverse reactions to anesthesia in alternative environments requires properly trained staff, rescue plans, adequate support systems, and generally should include certification by a governing body that demonstrates adequate standards are in place all around.
As an attorney, being aware of differences that may exist in stand-alone clinics offering anesthetic services and the hospital, is paramount in establishing whether your client is justified in receiving proper award or settlement for their incident. As a surgical and procedural nurse for almost 30 years, I can help you find the discrepancies you may be looking for. Contact me for further assistance.
TASA ID#: 16893, RN, BSN, CLNC, CNOR
Youn, A. M., Ko, Y. K., & Kim, Y. H. (2015). Anesthesia and sedation outside of the operating room. Korean journal of anesthesiology, 68(4), 323–331. doi:10.4097/kjae.2015.68.4.323
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