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We evaluated the behaviors of anesthesiologists during induction and maintenance of anesthesia. Contacts with surfaces occurred a mean (±standard error) of 154.8 ± 7.7 and 60 ± 3.1 times per hour during induction and maintenance, respectively (P < .0001). Hand hygiene events were 1.8 ± 0.27 per hour during induction versus 1.19 ± 0.27 during maintenance (P = .018).

Forty anesthesia providers were evaluated with and without hand sanitizer dispensers present on the anesthesia machine. Having a dispenser increased the frequency of hand hygiene only from 0.5 to 0.8 events per hour (P = .01). Other concomitant interventions are needed to further increase hand hygiene frequency among anesthesia providers.

This study provides evidence for the reliability, content validity, and construct validity of a 47-item multiple choice-style online test of ultrasound interpretation skills for regional anesthesia, which can be used as an assessment of competency milestone achievement in anesthesiology training.

T his study used a survey instrument to test the hypothesis that emotional intelligence, as measured by a BarOn emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), a 125-item version personal inventory (EQ-i:125), correlates with resident overall performance. Five academic anesthesiology residency programs in the United States participated. The programs invited anesthesia residents in postgraduate years 2, 3, and 4 to participate by taking the EQ-i:125 online survey; resident privacy was ensured, and the programs did not have access to individual, identifiable scores. Despite this guarantee of confidentiality, the resident participation rate was only approximately 25%.After residents confidentially completed the BarOn EQi:125 personal inventory, the deidentified resident evaluations were sent to the principal investigator of a separate data collection study for data analysis. Data collected from the inventory were correlated with daily evaluations of the residents by residency program faculty. Results of the individual BarOn EQ-i:125 and daily faculty evaluations of the residents were tallied and analyzed.Univariate correlation analysis and multivariate canonical analysis showed that some aspects of the BarOn EQ-i:125 were significantly correlated with, and likely to be predictors of, resident performance. The investigators concluded that emotional intelligence, as measured by the BarOn EQ-i personal inventory, has substantial promise as an independent indicator of performance as an anesthesiology resident. COMMENTDespite the considerable resources that anesthesiology residency programs expend on selection of resident applicants, the customary parameters of resident selectionVwith their emphasis on cognitive abilityVhave been not only fallible, but disappointing. Indicators of future clinical success have proven elusive. Even the most competitive programs admit to selecting candidates whose overall clinical performance has been suboptimal. Repeated acceptance of applicants who disappoint suggests that intellect, although a necessary component of success, is neither the sole nor the primary predictor of resident performance. Indeed, personal and motivational qualifications appear to deserve more emphasis in the selection process. Emotional intelligence, considered to be an array of noncognitive skills that affect an individual's ability to cope with environmental demands and pressures, appears to deserve more emphasis than it has been accorded previously. However, noncognitive indicators are subjective and not easily validated.The current study clearly identified that patient care was the core Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competency that was correlated with the most EQ-i:125 variables. In fact, 2 measured subscale metrics of emotional intelligence (self-regard and self-actualization) and total EQ score achieved statistically significant correlation with all 6 ACGME core competencies. Of interest is the fact that another subscale, impulse control, was not correlated with any of the 6 ACGME core comp...

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BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding computational drug error rates in anesthesia residents and faculty. We investigated the frequency and magnitude of computational errors in a sample of anesthesia residents and faculty. METHODS: With institutional review board approval from 7 academic institutions in the United States, a 15-question computational test was distributed during rounds. Error rates and the magnitude of the errors were analyzed according to resident versus faculty, years of practice (or residency training), duration of sleep, type of question, and institution. RESULTS: A total of 371 completed the test: 209 residents and 162 faculty. Both groups committed 2 errors (median value) per test, for a mean error rate of 17.0%. Twenty percent of residents and 25% of faculty scored 100% correct answers. The error rate for postgraduate year 2 residents was less than for postgraduate year 1 (P = .012). The error rate for faculty increased with years of experience, with a weak correlation (R = 0.22; P = .007). The error rates were independent of the number of hours of sleep. The error rate for percentage-type questions was greater than for rate, dose, and ratio questions (P = .001). The error rates varied with the number of operations needed to calculate the answer (P < .001). The frequency of large errors (100-fold greater or less than the correct answer) by residents was twice that of faculty. Error rates varied among institutions ranged from 12% to 22% (P = .021). CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesiology residents and faculty erred frequently on a computational test, with junior residents and faculty with more experience committing errors more frequently. Residents committed more serious errors twice as frequently as faculty.