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A new U.S. Air Force (USAF) policy governing anesthesia delivery in its facilities worldwide recognizes the full scope of the certified registered nurse anesthetist practice.
According to USAF, the policy promotes patient safety by approving anesthesia delivery models common to other American military service branches with which the Air Force often operates jointly and also widely used in civilian healthcare.
"Our military personnel and their dependents deserve the best anesthesia care, and CRNAs are privileged to provide it to them," said Debra Malina, MBA, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).
"We commend the Air Force for making these policy improvements, which were developed collaboratively within the Air Force by CRNAs, nurses and physicians. Formal recognition of the outstanding care our military CRNAs provide, through an unencumbered scope of practice policy, is based on existing scientific evidence and current best practices."
CRNAs provide the majority of anesthesia services to the U.S. armed forces at home and abroad, including the USAF. They are often the only anesthesia professionals deployed in front-line military facilities. In 2011, 142 active duty CRNAs served in the Air Force.
The updated policy, Air Force Instruction 44-102, was publicly issued on Jan. 20 by the Secretary of the Air Force and replaces regulations dating to 2006. It was developed via a collaborative process involving USAF physicians, nurse anesthetists, and other healthcare professionals.
According to USAF, the new policy demonstrates a commitment to professional collaboration among CRNAs and physician anesthesiologists in the interest of patient safety and access to care.
Significantly, the new policy authorizes directors of USAF treatment facilities to name either a CRNA or anesthesiologist as chief of anesthesia.
Among the scientific evidence considered by the USAF was the landmark 2010 Institute of Medicine report, "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health," and a 2010 research study published in the health policy journal Health Affairs, "No Harm Found When Nurse Anesthetists Work Without Supervision by Physicians."
According to USAF, those publications underscored the patient safety, access to care, and cost-effectiveness benefits associated with policies promoting the use of CRNAs and other advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to their full scope of practice.
To read the new USAF policy, AFI 44-102, in its entirety, click here. http://www.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI44-102.pdf. Note: anesthesia portions are in Section 6B beginning on pg. 43.
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