An analysis of the delivery of anaesthetic training sessions in the United Kingdom

Abstract

We analysed data from the electronic rota system CLWRota, covering 2,689,962 anaesthetic sessions between 01/01/2014 and 31/12/2015, in 91 UK Trusts, in order to investigate trainees' supervision. There were 8209 trainee attachments analysed, during which 618,695 sessions were undertaken by trainees. The number of supervised sessions per week that trainees worked varied considerably (median (IQR [range]) 2.6 (1.6-3.6 [0-10]) for all grades combined), with senior trainees more likely than junior trainees to be supervised for fewer than the three sessions per week mandated by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. The number of supervised sessions was unrelated to Trusts' size, suggesting that trainees in smaller hospitals receive the same level of supervision as in larger teaching hospitals. Analysis of a dataset of this size should be a good reflection of the delivery of anaesthesia training in the UK.

A retrospective analysis of case‐load and supervision from a large anaesthetic logbook database

“…In keeping with previous studies, we found consultant supervision reduced for core and specialty trainees out‐of‐hours . In 2014, a safety alert was released by the Association of Anaesthetists following reports of trainees with no consultant supervision during normal working hours .…”

Mathematical model of the risk of drug error during anaesthesia: the influence of drug choices, injection routes, operation duration and fatigue

“…Implicit in our model is a solo anaesthetist. Workforce models do indicate that solo working is increasingly common for all grades of staff , but we do not know the mitigating (or exacerbating) effects of more than one anaesthetist on drug error. Nevertheless, although we have imagined for the purpose of model development a single anaesthetist, the same model could be applied to errors made collectively by an anaesthetic team.…”

Time spent in the clinical environment is the most important aspect of medical education – we need to protect it

“…To achieve this, trainees should be asked to objectively record both their training hours and what they learnt on that shift. Electronic rota systems are extensively used in UK anaesthetic departments, and they could help to rapidly produce credible and timely information on training, as described elsewhere in this issue . This could replace the General Medical Council training survey , which is a poor assessment tool.…”