2005 Annual Scientific Meeting - CLICK FOR PROGRAMME

ASSESSING ATTITUDES TOWARDS TOTAL INTRAVENOUS ANAESTHESIA: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Fernando S Nora, Marcos Aguzzoli, Getúlio R de Oliveira Filho

University Hospital, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, RS. Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

Introduction

In the past, the time taken to set up the infusion, the cost of the equipment, the difficulty in judging the depth of anaesthesia, lack of information, of training, and/or of equipment were major limitations to widespread use of TIVA ¹. The introduction into practice of drugs with fast-onset-fast-recovery profiles and new pharmacokinectic paradigms ² have contributed to establish total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) as a safe and reliable technique. As learning or changing personal practices depend on internal predispositions called attitudes ³, this study aimed at developing and applying a measure of attitudes towards TIVA.

Methods

A randomized sample consisting of 150 anaesthesiologists and 102 trainees was invited to complete a 10- item questionnaire rated on 5-point Likert scales. Factor and reliability analyses were applied. Complete and partial agreement or disagreement responses on each item were pooled and compared by z-tests.

Results

There were 98 responses (response rate = 0.39). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.72. One item was excluded based on its low item-total correlation. Three factors explained 58% of the variance.

Table 1. Responses to the questionnaire

Data represent n (%). * = p<0.05.

Discussion

There was a predominantly positive attitude towards TIVA among participants. No consensus emerged about the level of knowledge necessary to perform TIVA, about the roles of infusion devices or about cost in affecting the use of TIVA. Educational interventions targeted to these aspects are probably merited. 

References

1.       Wright PJ, Dundee JW. Attitudes to intravenous infusion anaesthesia. Anaesthesia 1982;37:1209-13.

2.       Hughes MA, Glass PS, Jacobs JR. Context-sensitive half-time in multicompartment pharmacokinetic models for intravenous anesthetic drugs. Anesthesiology 1992;76:334-41.

3.       Entwistle NJ. Influences on the quality of student learning--implications for medical education. S Afr Med J 1992;81:596-606.