Robert Loeb, MD, and Samsun Lampotang, PhD, are members of a four-person task force to develop training materials for advanced technologies.
The task force is made up of members from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Committee on Equipment and Facilities, which is chaired by Dr. Loeb. It was formed in response to an initiative from the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) that called for healthcare institutions to “provide formal advanced medical technology training programs for every anesthesia professional including a mechanism to ensure that anesthesia professionals who are new to the institution receive this training before they begin delivering patient care.”
The Committee on Equipment and Facilities is partnering with device manufacturers to develop ACCME-accredited courses that will provide basic information on the safe and effective use of advanced medical technologies. The first course, Safe and Effective Use of Anesthesia Machines, is currently being developed by the ASA, led by Drs. Loeb, Lampotang, Feldman (CHOP), and Philip (Brigham & Women’s), with input from Dräger Medical and GE Healthcare. The course should become available on the ASA educational website in 2018.