Within the operating room and the recovery room, anesthesiologists function with amazing precision. The intensity of care is unrivaled in any other part of the hospital. In the recovery room, highly trained nurses and anesthesiologists interact to provide a graded level of care, leading to discharge to the floor or home. Some anesthesiologists practice critical care, but most do not. For the patient who does not require intensive care and returns to a surgical ward or for the patient who is discharged home following surgery, a different practice prevails.
Postoperative analgesia is a major advance and is actively practiced by anesthesiologists.
For the most part, however, our involvement ends there and is documented by the postoperative note. Ronald G. Angus, Jr., M.D., describes a burgeoning field of physicians who specifically focus on hospitalized but not anesthetized patients. There is a clear challenge to develop a relationship with the hospitalists in order to coordinate care. This group of physicians may well interact with postoperative patients. Perhaps hospitalists should become part of an anesthesiology and perioperative care department, much as pain management and intensive care physicians are incorporated today.