Requiring MD supervision of nurse anesthetists does not make patients safe
A recent study conducted by a Virginia-based research group has found that certain restrictions relating to the practice of nurse anesthetists have no effect on patient safety.
One such restriction has been clinical oversight by physicians, a requirement that the VHA (Veterans Health Administration) recently moved to strip away to reduce patient backlogs and wait time.
The Virginia study suggests there is no need for physician supervision of activities nurse anesthetists are trained to perform.
The study looked at 5.7 million anesthesia cases across the U.S. and found that more than 49,000 nurse anesthetists provide anesthetics in a safe and proper manner to approximately 40 million patients each year.
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