Current anesthesia manpower in Belgium in relation to anesthesia work locations

Two inquiries were conducted in 1995 and 1996 involving all anesthesiology departments in Belgium. The response rate was 57%. One aim of these surveys was to estimate the anesthesia manpower and the number of anesthesia work locations in each hospital, by hospital size and by region. In the operating theater, between 0.77 and 2.24 physicians (full time equivalents) were available per operating room. When considering also anesthesia in remote locations outside the operating theater, and the availability of fully trained physicians and trainees (efficiency estimated as 75% of a fully trained specialist), the ratio decreases to between 0.48 and 1.25, the highest ratios being found in larger hospitals (> 650 beds). When physicians currently in anesthesiology training will have graduated the mean availability of anesthesiologists per anesthesia work station will be 0.87 in Belgium, vs 0.52 in 1996.