ESRA Board statement on nurse practitioners

ESRA is the leading professional European Society in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy.
Anesthesiology has pioneered patient safety for decades. There has been an enormous improvement on the reduction of mortality and morbidity related to anesthesia care due to great efforts and commitment of the Anaesthesia physicians, represented by national and international medical organizations, who developed and promoted key standards and guidelines in patient safety.

With the expansion of surgical / anesthesia technologies and an increasing complexity of patient’s co-morbidities, a profound knowledge of patients’ medical condition is necessary to meet the demanded applicable and required safety standards in Europe.

Anesthesiologists are highly trained physicians, specifically prepared, through years of general and specialized medical training, to meet all challenges that may come inside or outside the operating theatre, as the provision of safe care goes well beyond the fulfillment of procedural tasks.

ESRA values the competences and importance of anesthesia nurse practitioners as a part of anesthesia care teams. Anesthesia nurses work under the supervision of anesthesiologists. Both nurse practitioners as well as anesthesia physicians have their particular fields of activity and responsibility, which correlate with their respective backgrounds in training and expertise. Shifting these responsibilities without providing the individuals concerned with the necessary professional background will not only result in considerable potential risks for patient safety but would also entail burdening the professionals concerned with considerably more responsibility in a highly questionable manner.

In any event, shortages in the workforce and/or other resources should not be compensated in a way that entails compromising patient safety and high quality care standards.

ESRA Board