Who is watching over me?--was the public's perception of the anaesthetist changed by National Anaesthesia Day?

The aim of National Anaesthesia Day on 25 May 2000 was to inform the public about the role and training of anaesthetists. We carried out two surveys of patients attending Derriford Hospital, Plymouth to assess the local impact of National Anaesthesia Day and to assess the public's expectation of the preoperative visit. The first survey was held one month prior to National Anaesthesia Day and was completed by 93 patients. The second survey was held immediately following National Anaesthesia Day and was completed by 70 patients. Thirty five percent of the patients surveyed were unaware that anaesthetists were medically qualified. This result was not altered by National Anaesthesia Day despite a local information campaign. Moreover, knowledge about our role and training was only marginally improved from 1978. The majority of patients expected to see their anaesthetist preoperatively for less than 10 minutes and would not be concerned if they had not been seen one hour before surgery. Style of clothing was unimportant; few preferred a white coat but name badges were desirable. We conclude that the level of ignorance about our profession has not changed since 1978 and the impact of National Anaesthesia Day was not significant. This may be as a result of the anaesthetist's portrayal on television, which is known to be an important source of public information on other areas of medicine. If these statistics are to change in the next 22 years new methods of public education need to be found.