First national anaesthetic network launched
- Published: 08 January 2008 09:00
- Author: Richard Griffiths
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- Last Updated: 02 January 2008 15:57
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There are 80,000 hip fractures in England every year and this number is rising. Anaesthetic management of these patients is challenging and there are vast variations in the care delivered across the NHS.Richard Griffiths explains how a new network is helping to overcome these difficulties
To help improve the quality and consistency of anaesthetic management of patients with hip fractures, I decided to organise a network of interested anaesthetists. I heard a talk about NHS Networks and realised it was the tool I needed to get started.
The result is the hip fracture anaesthesia network (HIPFA), the first national network for 'gasmen' in the NHS Networks register. The network will attempt to link specialists so evidence, audit and research ideas can be shared.
"We need to identify an anaesthesia champion for each acute trust, who will disseminate information from the hub"
Following some good publicity, I now have 45 anaesthetic champions in place across the UK. I still have a way to go to recruit all the acute hospitals in the UK, but the network could be a useful tool in standardising the anaesthetic management of patients and ensuring best practice is followed in each acute trust.
The network plans to start collecting data in early 2008 and the results will be available for presentation to Age Anaesthesia in May 2008.
Network power
Networks have the potential to influence practice quickly. Audit activity can be co-ordinated between members and hopefully this will be an important feature of the HIPFA network.
However, the network will only succeed if people embrace the concept and habits are altered. Can the network react faster than publications in journals and presentations at meetings? Only time will tell.
To achieve the aim of improving care for this important group of patients, we need to identify an anaesthesia champion for each acute trust, who will disseminate information from the hub. If you know anyone in an anaesthetic department, please tell them about HIPFA and encourage them to join.
For more information, visit www.networks.nhs.uk/hipfa or contact the author at richard@wothorpe.com.
