Emergency anaesthesia drug preparation in Irish training hospitals; a national survey

Anaesthetic and intensive care (ICU) non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) cover critical care areas along with theatre anaesthesia and maternity care during on call hours. NCHDs often prepare emergency drugs so that they are available for immediate use. The nature of this is not standardised nationally and may be department driven or at the discretion of the NCHD.

The aim of this survey was to ascertain the practice in Irish acute hospitals in relation to drug preparation, transport, storage, specific protocols, and the availability of prefilled syringes.

A telephone survey of each department was undertaken between 15th February to 2nd July 2024. With consent, 17 anaesthetic NCHDs were contacted to complete a phone survey.

The rate of use of each drug was ascertained for each tier of call. The storage and transport methods were recorded. The availability of prefilled syringes at each site was ascertained. Differences were reported between model 3 and model 4 hospitals.

Guidance on essential anaesthetic drugs exists. However, we are not aware of any specific guidelines relating to drug preparation for on call service. Each hospital may provide different services and treat a different cohort of patients. Therefore, the need for standardised protocols would need to be assessed on a hospital-specific basis.