27 March 2020Some highlights: President's message | NZSA letter to Health Minister l COVID-19 key info | Help sought from private practice anaesthetists | Support for private practice | NZSA office | Executive Committee meeting | Member renewals| Update on events | In the Media l MOH request to retired doctors l ACC and COVID-199 President's messageAs we all know, anaesthesiologists, their assistants and other staff involved in the perioperative care of Coronavirus positive surgical patients are at increased risk of exposure to infection; especially during the highly aerosol-generating procedures of intubation and extubation. The NZSA has postponed some of its projects and activities to focus on COVID-19, through advocacy (see our letter to the Health Minister below), education (sharing resources with members on our website including free webinars) and community (supporting our private practice anaesthetists, and offering to assist the Government with creating a list of any volunteer anaesthetists prepared to support the smaller centres). This E-Zine is primarily focused on COVID-19 news including the NZSA response. As always I welcome your feedback and encourage you to contact the NZSA if you require any assistance president@anaesthesia.nz NZSA letter to Health MinisterThe NZSA sent a letter to Health Minister David Clark this week outlining the experiences and knowledge shared on COVID-19 from our overseas counterparts such as the UK and US. We also offered our assistance across a range of avenues in a national response. Read the letter here which was also copied to the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. COVID-19 key informationWe encourage members to regularly visit the Ministry of Health website as a reliable, up-to-date source of information. The government’s response, work health and safety information, effects on all sectors, and tips for staying healthy are on the Government COVID-19 website. Help sought from private practice anaesthetistsEarlier this week we emailed consultant members to to ask if they could possibly assist ICU/anaesthetic staff redistribution in the event that a small centre is overwhelmed by COVID-19. We wish to collate the information, following a request from a member who is employed in one of the provincial centres. Members were sent a link to a brief survey to provide their details and how they could assist. If you missed this email please click here to complete the survey. We also encourage you to share this link with anaesthesia colleagues who may not be NZSA members as we believe the goal is to maximise our collective effort. Support for private practice anaesthetistsA COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme has been developed to help businesses and affected workers in the short-term, as they adjust to the initial impact of COVID-19. We have been contacted by some private practice anaesthetists who have, or will be applying for this scheme, whether as individuals who are self-employed or as part of a private practice group. To access the government's financial assistance to pay practice employees, the group should go to their practice accountants, who can provide information to show reduced income. The NZSA is able to write you a letter of support if required. Find out more about the Government's scheme here NZSA officeCancellation and/or postponement of events due to COVID-19 are listed below, which cover some of the events the NZSA either hosts or provides support for. We recommend you visit the NZSA events page for the latest updates. Please note that the status of some events are not yet clear, however we will update details when available.
NZSA Executive meetingThe NZSA Executive met on 20 March by teleconference, focusing on COVID-19 developments and how the NZSA could assist members and the wider health sector. Prior to this meeting the Executive had a teleconference with the Common Issues Group (which comprises anaesthesia societies from US, Australia, Canada, the UK and South Africa). This provided a comprehensive, sobering account of the situation overseas and the need to move quickly in New Zealand to try and avert the pervasive spread of the disease, the risk to front line health workers, and the immense pressure on hospitals particularly ICUs. Some decisions made at the meeting (which have now been implemented) included writing to the Health Minister to share lessons learnt from our CIG colleagues and to offer our assistance in a national response; and collating the names
of anaesthetists who may be able to assist smaller centres if required via a brief survey. Have you renewed your NZSA membership?Invoices for NZSA membership renewals have been sent to all members. Thank you to those who have already made payment. At a time of such uncertainty due to COVID-19 and the cancellation of some of our events, the NZSA's reliance on member fees which make up 80% of our income is more vital than ever to ensure we remain financially sustainable. We are supporting you and ask that you support the organisation and our staff. Please contact Membership Manager Lynne Wood at membership@anaesthesia.nz to renew your membership. We look forward to your ongoing engagement and support. Update on eventsIn the advisory we sent to members on Friday 20 March we advised that all NZSA office staff were working from home. In case you missed it please see below information on how to contact the office and individual members of staff: The office number (04) 494 0124 is being redirected to CEO Renu Borst, however cannot be transferred to other parties from there. To call the staff directly:
SAS consensus statementThe NZSA, along with other organisations such as ASA Australia, has endorsed the COVID-19 airway management and intubation consensus statement. The statement and other resources here including infographics. In the mediaThe NZSA is sharing key media articles via our social media channels Twitter and Facebook. Some media coverage highlighted below: Lock down MOH request to retired doctorsThe Ministry of Health is seeking expressions of interest from doctors whose registration or practising certificate has lapsed (in the last three years) and would like to return to work for a limited time as part of the national COVID-19 response. In the first instance, doctors are needed who can join the Healthline and contact tracing initiatives. MOH is liaising with MCNZ and says it is likely they will seek doctors to work in more clinically-focused roles as the workforce is scaled up as part of COVID-19. More here ACC and COVID-19If you need to talk to ACC about how COVID-19 or the Health Ministry’s guidelines affect your service delivery, talk to the person or organisation who holds the contract with ACC. If that’s you, and your contract doesn’t answer your query, contact your Engagement and Performance Manager, or providerbusinesscontinuity@acc.co.nz. Message from Wellbeing SIG ChairWellbeing SIG Chair Dr Greg Downey has written a piece on wellbeing in the context of COVID-19. Here is an excerpt. "In anaesthesia we will be in the front line, along with our ED and ICU colleagues, in caring directly with these patients. We are at increased risk of contracting the virus ..., of finding ourselves isolated from our families, working outside our comfort zones, and experiencing concern for our own safety and for our co-workers. What can we do?" One recommendation he makes is "be aware that as time goes on, you and your colleagues will become fatigued, stressed and at risk of error. Have compassion for yourself and others when stress becomes overt" Read more here Pacific news - COVID-19The NZSA supports the Government’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into the Pacific, as prevention will be far better than trying to manage the consequences of an outbreak in any of the Pacific Islands. The NZSA Overseas Aid Sub-Committee (OASC) is engaging with the Pacific Society of Anaesthetists to explore ways to collaborate and is sharing information with the Pacific e.g. evolving guidelines and recommended safe practice advice via social media channels. The OASC consensus is that the safest approach is to organise human resources and other support if required through the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team and the Ministry of Health. Ethical considerations - COVID-19To support our profession, the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) has released a new position statement entitled Ethical Considerations for Doctors in Disaster Response. The NZMA says that it is vital that medical professionals are supported during and after a disaster response, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. nzRISK - preoperative risk predictionnzRISK is a preoperative risk-prediction tool providing an estimate for the risk of death at one month, one year, and two years following surgery. It has been developed and validated for patients in New Zealand over the age of 18 undergoing non-cardiac surgery. The tool uses eight risk factors to estimate mortality and is currently the most accurate risk tool for adults in New Zealand undergoing non-cardiac surgery.
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