Nurse Anesthetists

While reading Watchful Care: A History of America's Nurse Anesthetists by Marianne Bankert, it seems evident that the progression of the Nurse Anesthesia profession is borne by individuals who deemed Evidence-Based Practice a necessity. A search of a formal definition of Evidence-Based Practice turned out to be a futile endeavor, as the concept has evolved with time. Nevertheless, three basic tenets are considered paramount from it; “best available research evidence, patient values (or preferences) and clinical expertise” (McFadden &Thiemann, 2009). A pursuit of these tenants can be seen throughout our profession's history by these “invisible providers” (Bankert, 1989, p.15). These actions have kept the anesthetist knowledgeable and experts
Charles H, Mayo (Bankert, 1989, p.38). Her contributions are numerous to the anesthesia profession. She was a published author, contributing to the research of new and efficient techniques of anesthesia practice. One example of these publications was the 1906 paper “A Review of Over Fourteen Thousand Surgical Anesthesia” (Bankert, 1989, p. 31). She emphasized on patient care which was individualized to patient “pathological condition” and “temperament” (Bankert, 1989. p. 31). She insisted on the importance of provider “experience” as a true gauge of providing safe anesthesia (Bankert, 1989. p. 31). One can deduce from the above examples that Alice Magaw was a true pioneer of evidenced-based anesthesia practice as she encompasses all three concepts which include best research evidence, patient preference, and clinical expertise, respectively.
In recent times, Evidenced-Based Nurse Anesthesia practice is the standard of care. To this end, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) have made significant advances to ensure such efforts sustain. One example is the recent efforts highlighted by Thiemann & McFadden (2010), describing the thorough process which evaluates and implements practice-related documents by the Board of Directors of the