German Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI)
Nuremberg (end)
Without the establishment of anesthesiological standards and guidelines, there is a risk of underfunding, downsizing, and a loss of safety and quality for more than ten million patients every year.
The government commission’s proposals for modern and needs-based hospital care are currently being intensively discussed in the federal-state group. In these reform proposals, anesthesia is only defined as a so-called “interdisciplinary subject” and presented as a “minimum structural requirement”. One looks in vain for a further description of the anesthesiological standards for personnel and equipment and their financing. As with the promotion of outpatient operations, the specialist field of anesthesiology is in danger of being overlooked, despite its great importance for the entire care system.
Anesthesia is important for the entire care
Without binding guidelines, there is a significant risk of underfunding and thus further unacceptable staff reductions in the field of anesthesiology in the expected disputes arising from the reform of inpatient remuneration. The workload, which has already increased significantly under the previous remuneration system, would become even more acute. “It is undisputed that there must be a long-overdue reform of the remuneration for inpatient services. However, if this were to be implemented at the expense of individual departments, such as anaesthesia, the negative consequences for the care and safety of patients and, last but not least, for the Training and further education of young colleagues is pre-programmed. We demand planning security through reliable guidelines, especially for financing, in order to be able to continue to ensure high-quality anesthesiological care,” says the representative of hospital anesthesiologists in the “Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists” (BDA). , professor dr. medical Grietje Beck. “We can prove exactly what we need and are happy to be available to politicians for a constructive exchange,” Professor Beck continues.
Anesthetists perform a wide range of tasks, from ensuring anesthesiological care in the surgical area for more than ten million patients a year, to treating acute and chronic pain, emergency care, intensive care medicine and palliative care. Underfunding of anesthesia departments would have consequences for inpatient care and thus, in particular, for patient safety. “Should the disregard of anesthesia repeat itself, as happened with the promotion of outpatient operations, where anesthesia was simply ignored, this would affect inpatient care as a whole. We anesthesiologists are not only active in the operating room, but wherever our special expertise is needed.” warns the Vice President of the “Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists”, Dr. medical Frank Vescia.
BDA standards established for years
In order to counteract these undesired effects, the BDA drew up guidelines on minimum requirements for anesthesiological workplaces and a calculation tool for medical staffing years ago and has continuously developed them further. The specifications of the BDA are based primarily on patient safety and high quality standards, regardless of the economic framework. “We have been offering our managerial colleagues the personnel calculation tool for years and have had very positive experiences. In particular, activities that are often not or not adequately taken into account are included in the personnel calculation. We have the tool constantly from the feedback from the many years of use further developed. Our instruments are established and valid”, says private lecturer Dr. medical Thomas Iber, secretary of the BDA, who significantly accompanies the development and application of the calculation tool.
German Medical Association makes BDA instruments the standard for other specialist areas
Due to the positive experience in the application so far, the German Medical Association decided in 2022 to use the calculation tool of the BDA as the basis for the development of an interdisciplinary personnel requirements tool. The project related to this is currently being carried out by the German Medical Association.
BDA calls for the implementation of its requirements and adequate funding in the law
For the field of anaesthesiology, there are already reliable specifications and a tried and tested instrument for calculating the personnel requirements of the leading professional association. The BDA urgently calls for the implementation of its guidelines and instruments and correspondingly secured financing in the planned draft laws.
The BDA represents more than 20,000 anesthesiologists from clinics and practices. In cooperation with the patients, the operative partner associations, the scientific societies, the political parties and the payers, the BDA fights for the best possible anesthesiological care.
Press contact:
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“German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine”
(DGAI) /
“Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists” (BDA)
Neuwieder Street 9
90411 Nuremberg
Phone: 0911 93378-33
E-Mail:
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Internet:
www.dgai.de
www.bda.de
Original content from: German Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI), transmitted by news aktuell