ASA surveys provide useful information to the groups that create them and can return value to the members who participate in them. For example, ASA and its Committee on Occupational Health engaged members in 2011 on a collaborative survey research project conducted with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Members answered questions about anesthetic gases, surgical smoke, disinfectants and aerosolized medications. Those responses led to a greater understanding of physician anesthesiologists’ occupational health among NIOSH researchers and the health care community. Most important, NIOSH is housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and often drives national policy on a diverse set of health care issues. ASA member participation in this survey contributed to the body of research on occupational health and may influence future policy discussions about anesthesia occupational safety.
Member surveys are frequently administered to support the work of ASA committees and staff by...
