Teamwork and the legal and ethical responsibility of the anaesthetist

Anaesthetists are members of the operating team. Although the surgeons usually consider themselves to be the leaders of the team, all members, including the anaesthetist, have their own legal, ethical and professional responsibilities.

Good communication and sharing responsibility are characteristics of teamwork. Many factors can affect team functioning: training differences, social status, differences in responsibility, gender, age and culture, among others. An increasing number of individuals are involved in modern treatment due to limited working hours and increasing subspecialization, which complicates collaboration. Not all participants have the same perception of the team structure and its operation. Multidisciplinary, well designed training programmes are needed.

Anaesthetists have to be more aware of their position in the care team and pay more attention to their legal, ethical and professional responsibilities.