901

Correspondence Prevention of hearing under anaesthesia 921 L.J. Grant, BSc, MIEE, M.A. Perkins, MIEETE

Communication J. Norman, PhD, MB, FFARCS

and P.C. Babington, MB, FFARCS

The Editor

92 I

A College of Anaesthetists? (i.e. a Faculty of Anaesthetists within the Royal College of Surgeons) ? 5 . If not, would you prefer ‘the proposals’ of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland? The context suggested this t o indicate a fully independent College of Anaesthetists. 6. If so, how strongly do you feel about it?

Attitudes in the Oxford Region

In order to ascertain the interests in, and support for the creation of a College of Anaesthetists, separate from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, a questionnaire and covering letter were sent to all Consultant and Senior Registrar anaesthetists in the Oxfordshire Region in February 1979. The information was primarily requested by the Regional Specialist Anaesthetists’ Committee, but the results were felt to be of sufficient interest to merit wider publication. The Questionnaires were sent in the first instance t o the Faculty Tutor or consultant in charge of training for each hospital together with a list of the holders of the Diploma of Fellowship as known to us. The Tutor then distributed the questionnaires on our behalf and reported to us any deficiencies or excesses. We hoped that, in this way, we would obtain a s complete a distribution a s possible to a changing population of Senior Registrars. The questions posed were as follows: Year of achieving the Diploma of Fellowship in the Faculty of Anaesthetists? Are you adequately informed of the pros and cons of establishing a separate college of Anaesthetists ? I f not, are you interested in receiiring more information ? Are you satisfied with the present situation

Seventy-three completed questionnaires were returned of 89 circulated (82%). The respondents were divided into three groups according to date of achieving the Diploma of Fellowship (1950-59, 1960-69 and 1970-79) (Table I). The majority of answers to Question I showed that the respondents considered themselves to be well informed of the arguments for or against a separate college (Table 2) and all those who did not feel so informed would like t o receive more information (Question 2). The replies to the question-‘Are you satisfied with the present situation’? showed a variation of view with age (assuming it is possible to relate age to the date of obtaining the Fellowship-Table 3). However, of those who are disatisfied with the present state there is a n overwhelming majority who prefer the ‘proposals of the Association of Anaesthetists’ (Table 4), and are prepared to go a s far a s to qualify this as ‘strongly’ or ‘very strongly’. There is, however, a clear bias t o youth who feel most

Table I. Replies received Date of obtaining Fellowship

Oxford Area Health Authority (Teaching)? Other Areas of the Oxford Regional Health Authority3 Totals

t

Questionnaires Sent Returned

Response Per cent

1950-59

1960-69

1970-79

4

8

24

42

36

86

9 13

12 20

15 39

47 89

37 73s

79 82

Includes the Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford, and the Horton General Hospiial, Banbury. Kettering & District General, Northampton General, Royal Berkshire, Stoke Mandeville, Wexham Park and Wycombe General Hospitals. § Include one reply without date of obtaining Fellowship.

1Includes

902

Correspondence Table 5. How strongly do you feel?

strongly about this-perhaps rightly so, as it will concern them longer (Table 5 ) . It must also be said that many of the senior respondents wrote comments to the effect that they were prepared to support the wishes of the majority whatever their own views.

1950-59

1960-69

1970-79

Total

Table 2. Respondents considering themselves adequately 1950-59

1960-69

Total

1970-79 _

Yes

10 (77%)

14 (70%)

No

3 (23%)

6 (30%)

29 (74%) 10 (26%)

_

_

t

Including one ‘No’ reply with no date of Fellowship given. Table 3. Satisfied with the present situation

Yes No

Total

1960-69

7 (54%) 6(40%)

10 (50%)

28 (38%)

10(50%)

45 (62%)

13 (18%)

1970-79

73

Table 4. Preference for the ‘Association proposals’ 1950-59

1960-69

Yes

5 (83%)

No

0

7 (70%) 26 (93%) 3 (3%) 2 (7%)

Don’t know Total

1(17%) 6 (13%)

0 10 (22%)

Total

1970-79

0 28 (62%)

Niifleld Department of Anaesthetics, The RadcliJk Infrmary. J.V. MITCHELL Regional Education Adviser Oxford O X 2 6HE ( 1969-79) M.E. WARD Consultant Anaesthetist

Total

1950-59

I I (28%) 28 (72%) 20 (27%) 39 (53%)

~

53 ( 73%) 20t (27%)

38 (84%) 5 (11%) 2 (4%) 45

Editorial coiiri~rent It must be said in fairness that the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland has not made official ‘proposals’ but merely sought consultation with the Faculty of Anaesthetists on the future of academic anaesthesia in the United Kingdom. This questionnaire did not specifically explore support for the possibility of an independent College of Anaesthetists sharing the present building of the Royal College of Surgeons of England with that College; this is a n attractive concept which appears to have considerable support. The Editor.

The Bryn Thomas National Inventory of Historical Anaesthetic Apparatus

It has been decided to begin to collate information on historical anaesthetic apparatus, following the correspondence in Anaesthesia (1978, 33, 276 and 843). The widow of the late Dr Bryn Thomas, Curator of the Charles King Collection for many years, has given permission for the inventory to be called ‘The Bryn Thomas National Inventory of Historical Anaesthetic Apparatus’. Eventually it is hoped to have a photograph of each type of apparatus, but, since there will be many duplicates throughout the country, we would like to start with a card index. Each card-standard 5 x 8 inch (12.7 x 20.3 cm)should contain the following information: date of item, maker, date of manufacture, patent number, registered design number, condition, variations from published descriptions, whether a photograph is available, the whereabouts of the item and the sig-

nature of the museum curator or other informant. At a later date we would ask the owners of selected items to supply photographs, so that there will not be a problem of finding space to store an unnecessarily large number of photographs. Information should be sent to Dr C.A. Foster and Dr Richard H. Ellis, The Hon. Curators, Charles King Collection of Anaesthetic Apparatus, c/o the Research Department of Anaesthetics, Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WCZA 3PN.

Department of Anaesthetics, S I Thomas’ Hospital, London SEI 7EH Department of Anaesthesia, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London ECIA 7BE

C.A. FOSTER

RICHARD H. ELLIS

A College of Anaesthetists?

901 Correspondence Prevention of hearing under anaesthesia 921 L.J. Grant, BSc, MIEE, M.A. Perkins, MIEETE Communication J. Norman, PhD, MB, FFARCS...
137KB Sizes 0 Downloads 0 Views