[Distribution of anesthesia practice, types of anesthesia, and human resources in Catalonia, Spain, in 2003].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this arm of the ANESCAT 2003 study was to describe the temporal distribution and types of anesthesia used in Catalonia, Spain, in 2003, along with the associated human resources used.


METHODS
Data were used from a survey of 23,136 anesthetic procedures collected on 14 randomly selected days in 2003 and an individual questionnaire was completed by 765 anesthesiologists working in Catalonia.


RESULTS
Anesthesia practice was divided into that associated with surgery (78.4%), obstetrics (11.3%), and other nonsurgical procedures (10.4%). Of all anesthetic procedures performed, 84.3% took place in operating theaters and 7.0% in obstetric areas. Emergency procedures accounted for 20.3% of the total. Most procedures (71.2%) were undertaken within 08:00 and 16:00 h, and the lowest number of procedures performed on workdays took place on Fridays. The median duration of anesthesia was 60 minutes. The most common technique was regional anesthesia (41.4%), with spinal block being the most widely used. There were an estimated 12.5 anesthesiologists per 100,000 inhabitants, with a median (10th-90th percentile) age of 45 (34-57) years; women made up 47.2% of that group. The mean number of standard working hours was 46 hours per week and 65% of anesthesiologists also undertook on duty shifts. Anesthesiologists spent 77% of their time performing anesthesia and the remainder in postoperative recovery and critical care units and pain clinics.


CONCLUSIONS
Emergency anesthesia represents 20% of the total workload and obstetrics and nonsurgical procedures another 20%. The use of regional anesthesia was very widespread. The population density of anesthesiologists is comparable to that of other European countries, but with a higher proportion of women.
Gomar
Carmen
C
Servicio de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapia del Dolor, Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Villarroel 170, Barcelona, Spain. cgomars@ub.edu
Sabaté
Sergi
S
Mayoral
Víctor
V
Canet
Jaume
J
Alcón
Amalia
A
Aliaga
Luis
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013030:Spain; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data