VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2
HOW PHYSICIANS CAN PILOT PATIENTS TO SAFETY
Bracken S. Kolle, MD TSA Editor
The seal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) (Figure 1) has many interesting features with deep symbolism. Dr. Martin Giesecke and others have explained the relevance of the seal to the specialty of anesthesiology.1 Notably, the ship in troubled waters emphasizes the dangers of anesthesia, and the ship’s wheel asserts that anesthesiologists, as physicians, can safely pilot patients through the dangerous waters.
Development of the seal was part of a larger effort by the young society. Dr. Paul M. Wood made the seal in 1932 for the New York Society of Anesthetists (NYSA) during a time when anesthesiology struggled to gain recognition as a medical specialty.2 Competing anesthesia organizations were at odds over what requirements a candidate should satisfy for certification as a specialist in anesthesia. The NYSA wanted to guarantee physicians were central to anesthesia care. In response to these issues, in 1936 the NYSA voted to form a public relations committee. The committee’s mandate was clear: generate national recognition for the medical profession of anesthesiology. The society recognized that the advancement of the specialty of anesthesiology was necessary to improve patient safety.
Since the 1930s, the ASA has generated legitimacy for the specialty of anesthesiology and helped anesthesiologists enhance patient safety. Modern technology has opened new avenues to promote anesthesiology. Public relations efforts remain vital to our specialty. Nothing will replace local media outreach and in-person meetings with colleagues and legislators, however, online engagement and social media messaging are exciting new strategies that can help anesthesiologists counteract the messages that threaten patient safety..
The ASA is leading the way with “new media” engagement. In January of 2015, ASA members spoke out for patient safety during the inaugural Physician Anesthesiologists Week. In addition to traditional outreach, ASA members used Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to promote physician-led care.3 On Twitter alone, use of the hashtag #PhysAnesWk15 was used in 477 tweets resulting in 761,369 impressions.
During the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015 Annual Meeting, the ASA encouraged members to use social platforms to increase awareness of the specialty and promote the importance of physician-led care.4 ASA media relations specialists shared stories about the role of anesthesiologists in patient safety, while a communications team was available to help members create Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to increase member engagement on these social platforms.
Closer to home, the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists (TSA) is also integrating these new tools in their marketing. This year, we strengthened our strategy by passing the “TSA Social Media Policy” to guide worthwhile content production. Posts by members and from TSA administrative staff to Facebook and Twitter create value for each member by promoting advocacy and education. For the 2015 TSA Annual Meeting, we encouraged members to tweet using the #TXAnes2015 hashtag. The result: twenty-five users generated 169 posts that resulted in 108,040 overall impressions. Admittedly, we are still learning the best way to leverage these tools, but the results are very promising.
