Term Paper on "Helen Lamb on the Profession of Anesthesia"

Term Paper 6 pages (1531 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Helen Lamb on the profession of anesthesia

Touted as one of the greatest medical discoveries for the 20th century, anesthesiology as a science has played a significant role in the field of medicine. Since its inception in mid-19th century and eventual development in the early 20th century, anesthesia has been a standard part of medical practice. By introducing this new condition, wherein the patient cannot feel physical pain or sensation in any part of the body during a medical procedure, the application of anesthesia has benefited and further increased the relevance and importance of medicine to people's lives.

Not surprisingly, the professional use of anesthesia is not possible without the help of Helen Lamb Frost, who revolutionized anesthesiology by establishing the School of Anesthesia in St. Louis, Missouri in 1921 (AANA, 2005). Through the School of Anesthesia, developments in anesthesiology occurred. Firstly, it introduced a new organization wherein anesthesiology's medical (or practical) and academic significance in the field of medicine is reconciled and bridge. Also, it paved the way for the emergence of other professional organization, significant of which is the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NANA), later changed to American Association of Nurse Anesthetists or AANA. Lastly, the establishment of Lamb's School of Anesthesia also developed the standards on using anesthesiology in the field of medicine and among members of the scientific and medical communities.

Helen Lamb's contribution to the science of anesthesiology, in fact, is best projected through the works of the organizations she has engaged and affiliated with, such as the AANA. It is through this organization that Lamb's goals in spreading the use of anesthesia in medical procedures became widespread and professionally (and ethically) administered to patients.

It is thus this paper's objective to provide a discussion of Lamb's historical impact on the profession of anesthesia -- how, through the years, she has helped 'professionalize' anesthesia, rendering it a procedure just as important as the conduct of a major medical operation. Lamb's legacy, however, is not so much about the professionalization of anesthesia but the creation of standard rules on administering anesthesia on the patient. That is, anesthesiology as a science has been 'humanized' by Lamb, in order to make patients safer and more receptive to the use of anesthesia before undergoing an important and crucial medical procedure or operation.

Impact Analysis

In Schwartz's (2003) special report on Helen Lamb's life and her role in the history of anesthesia, he emphasized that her contribution to the medical community was not because the St. Barnes Hospital's School of Anesthesia provided quality administration of anesthesia, but because she developed clear guidelines that would help medical practitioners to use anesthesia without endangering the patient's life. Analysis of the life and times in which Lamb lived reflected the need for standardized administration of anesthesia (95):

While increasing numbers of students pursued anesthesia training in the 1920s, the didactic and clinical training components were not standardized. In the 1930s, advances in anesthesia and surgical techniques prompted hospital administrators and surgeons to call for anesthesia training standards.

Schwartz's discussion reflected the historical impact of Lamb in the profession of anesthesia: it is through her and her School of Anesthesia that aspiring medical practitioners found a vocation in anesthesiology. It is through her that: (1) anesthesiology found its niche in the world of medicine and in medical communities; (2) anesthesia has become a profession, and not just a simple procedure used as a pre-requisite for operations; (3) standardization of the profession further developed; and (4) a network of support for the profession and its practitioners were established and continuously provides quality control of use and discovery of new applications and innovations of anesthesiology in the field of medicine.

It was stated earlier that Lamb's impact in the medical community and on the profession of anesthesia is best reflected through the works of one of the pioneer organizations on anesthesiology, the AANA.

McKibban (2004) discussed in his article about the AANA the latest developments that it has undergone to achieve its objective of providing quality and training of the profession of anesthesia. He introduced AANA's newest vision and mission, which, although revised in form, remained faithful to Lamb's intentions when she established anesthesia as a profession in the early 20th century. The new mission statement of AANA is stated as follows: "Advancing patient safety and excellence in anesthesia." The vision statement, meanwhile, states, "Recognized leaders in anesthesia care" (89).

From the vision and mission statements of AANA, it can be inferred that its new objective does not deviate at all from Lamb's objective when she institutionalized the organization. Indeed, "advancing patient safety" is one of the core values imparted by her School of Anesthesia program. By coming up with standard guidelines in the conduct of anesthesia administration, Lamb through the AANA has the patient's safety in her mind, for anesthesia is a procedure introduced and administered in order to allow the patient feel less or no pain than what was actually inflicted on the body during operations.

The vision statement, meanwhile, puts leverage on the fact that AANA is the pioneer organization when it comes to training practitioners in anesthesiology. The history of AANA makes it a reliable and trusted organization that provides not only quality training and information about anesthesia, but adheres to the strict ethical guidelines that, ultimately, centers on the patient's safety and welfare.

Lamb's historical impact goes beyond the organization's philosophical and professional foundations. As proof of its sincerity in applying its mission and vision in the profession of anesthesia, the AANA regularly presents reports and publish articles that reflect the organization's vision and mission and communicates the various ways in which not only anesthesiology, but also patient safety, significantly relates to people's lifestyles and everyday activities.

AANA's study on patient safety in the office setting is one such example. Hornsby, in his article entitled, "Anesthesia's New Frontier: Ensuring Patient Safety in the Office Setting," focused on introducing the new method of conducting "office-based surgery." This new concept is presented as a new way in which medical practitioners adapt to the changing lifestyles and environments that people find themselves in everyday. As in the case of most people who work inside offices, Hornsby and the AANA delved on the possibility of promoting safe "surgical and anesthesia care" in the office setting to people who find themselves unable to commit themselves to caring for their health and illnesses for fear of missing out on work (112).

Hornsby's study is just one part of the message that AANA wanted to impart in the article. The greater objective that this article accomplished is to promote the vision and mission of the organization, by presenting its concept of "AANA Standards for Office-based Practice." In it, the organization enumerated the different standards that it adheres to when it comes to applying anesthesia care in adaptive environments such as the workplace. The eleven (11) standards enumerated are noticeably patient-centric, focusing on their general health and safety, highlighting the fact that AANA goes beyond providing anesthesia care to include general health safety.

Examples of these standards include the following, among others: (1) Formulate a patient-specific plan for anesthesia care; (2) Transfer the responsibility of care of the patient to other qualified providers in a manner that assures continuity of care and patient safety; and (3) Anesthesia care shall be assessed to assure its quality and contribution to positive patient outcomes (113). These statements reflect that the AANA, though it considers itself a pioneer in anesthesia care, also considers the possibility that other organizations and institutions would also be able to provide patients with quality health care superior or similar to AANA standards. Also, these standards show that the organization's utmost concern is the patient, and not its reputation and image as a medical organization. These… READ MORE

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