President Larry Hornsby, CRNA, BSN, announced that National Nurse Anesthetists Week in 2001 will be celebrated during the week of January 21-27 . Data support Hornsby s statements. Studies have shown that anesthesia mortality rates during the last 20 years have dramatically reduced to the present low of one death for every 240,000 anesthetics. Thanks to improved technology and pharmaceuticals, and increased education for nurse anesthetists and physician anesthesiologists, anesthesia safety is at an all-time high. Nurse Anesthetists have been providing high-quality anesthesia care for more than 100 years.
Patient safety is, and always has been, the number one priority for nurse anesthetists.
We administer to the patient s physical and emotional needs, offer reassurance and comfort, and stay right by the patient s side throughout the surgery. CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered, including traditional hospital surgical suites, obstetrical delivery rooms, physicians offices, ambulatory surgical centers, and medical facilities of the U.S. Military, Public Health Service, and Veterans Administration. In rural settings, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers in nearly two-thirds of all hospitals. Headquartered near Chicago, AANA has been at the forefront of establishing clinical practice standards for the nurse anesthesia profession for nearly 70 years. You can bet CRNAs will be at the forefront of ensuring patient comfort and safety.