In 1995, the WLM supplied information for about 1,000 inquiries, and of course, each answer was needed immediately or within 24 hours at the latest. Some of the more common questions have to do with an anesthesiologist's practice. Often, ASA members want to know where to find the latest ASA guidelines or practice parameters. They want to know about specifics that impact their practice, like relationships with nurse anesthetists, utilization or planning of operating rooms, or studies on new drugs. They may ask questions about liability issues, setting up an office, starting a career, standard equipment they need for a new facility or where to find a patient satisfaction survey.
Some inquiries are more clinical in nature.
An anesthesiologist may ask about radial, lumbar or major plexus blocks, research on a dislocated jaw after anesthesia, if neuroanesthesia can be done without intubation or about recent studies on the use of intrathecal drugs for pain management. Whether the most current data are sought or a historical review of all of the medical literature for a specific question, the WLM provides a wide range of resources. Information available from the WLM may consist of a bibliography, an abstract or photocopies of supporting documents, or the loan of a book. Many times, resource questions may require only a bibliography such as one compiled on latex allergies. Such an in-house bibliography is available with a comprehensive list of articles that track the subject matter back to when it first became a topic of interest.