Clinician perceived barriers to the use of regional anaesthesia and analgesia

Abstract

Summary Background Clinician preference may be an important aspect of anaesthesia and pain management therapy. Preferences for, and barriers to, the use of regional anaesthetic and analgesic techniques may play an important part in the choice of anaesthetic and acute postoperative pain management techniques offered to patients. Methods The existence of perceived barriers to the use of regional techniques for anaesthesia and pain management was assessed using a survey tool in a multidisciplinary group of perioperative care providers at an urban Level-I trauma centre. Results The preferences identified include utilizing regional techniques whenever appropriate and/or in patients with co-morbid conditions where regional techniques would be beneficial in decreasing anaesthetic risks. The barriers identified in the survey: procedural risk, lack of nursing education regarding postoperative care, time constraints, and patient anxiety. Conclusions Although the origins of these preferences and perceived barriers have supported validity when examined in the literature, no previous work has focused solely on the subject of the existence and nature of clinician preferences and perceived barriers to the use of regional anaesthesia techniques. Further research in this area may focus on preference and barrier identification on a broader scale as well as weighted analysis of individual responses.