Anaesthesia technicians in Quebec: the background and the role

Anaesthesia technicians are respiratory technologists who received their education in CEGEPs. Every respiratory technologist, when he finishes his course, is specially trained to become an anaesthesia technician. The tasks are delegated to anaesthesia technicians according to the task description of the anaesthetist. This specialist in the current practice must comply with the principles of the art of medicine: he makes a diagnosis by evaluating the risk of each patient who will be anaesthetised and by evaluating the patient's state along the course of anaesthesia and operation; then he decides on the treatment, i.e. he chooses the anaesthetic technique that is suitable for him and he modifies it during the operation according to the needs of the patient. In the diagnosis-treatment procedure, we find a part of decision and a part of execution. It is clear that the decision is reserved exclusively to the anaesthetist but the execution of certain tasks may be delegated to technicians. The task description for the anaesthesia technician has been developed in accordance with these principles and in accord with the new "Guide to Anaesthesia Practice" of the Corporation of Physicians of the Province of Quebec that does not agree with double booking of anaesthetists. Finally, we discuss employment of the technicians in the various operating rooms according to the variety of surgery that is done in each room and the work load that is generated. Experience with this organization has convinced us that the anaesthesia technicians, through their clinical and technical contribution, provide an infrastructure in a department of anaesthesia which permits smooth and efficient functioning of the department. It also relieves the anaesthetist of certain energy-consuming and time-consuming tasks.