Communication Between Anaesthesia Providers for Clinical and Professional Purposes: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Communication
• Healthcare Workforce Studies
• Anesthesiology Practice

Background:

• Anesthesia providers require robust communication for clinical support, advice, learning, and mentorship.
• Communication acts as a crucial 'social resource' in anesthesia practice, though its role is understudied.
• Existing literature often overlooks non-physician anesthesia providers and global disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of literature on communication among anesthesia providers.
• To identify communication modalities, contexts, purposes, and outcomes.
• To determine the cadres of providers involved and geographical distribution of research.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review utilizing JBI methodology.
• Searches across major databases including Cochrane, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar.
• Inclusion criteria focused on communication between trained anesthesia providers for clinical/professional purposes.

Main Results:

• 225 papers included, revealing communication influences clinical and non-clinical outcomes.
• Physician providers were predominantly featured; nurse anesthetists and other non-physician providers were underrepresented.
• Most studies originated from high-income countries, highlighting a research gap in low- and middle-income contexts.

Conclusions:

• Inter-provider communication significantly impacts anesthesia practice, patient outcomes, and workforce capacity.
• Understanding communication as a resource is critical for patient care and health worker well-being.
• Urgent need for research focusing on non-physician providers and low/middle-income country settings.