General anesthesia provides both patients and doctors with many worthwhile benefits when it comes time for various medical procedures. For doctors, knowing that a patient is under general anesthesia may allow him or her to accomplish necessary treatments without worrying about the patient becoming agitated, panicked or distracting. Likewise, patients can feel more at ease during different treatments and may experience fewer feelings of anxiety and fear when they know that they will not be awake for their surgery in Indiana.
With general anesthesia administration being so common, there are undoubtedly times when errors occur. Fortunately, when patients are educated about the risks of anesthesia, they can help to mitigate the risks and keep themselves better protected. According to Web MD, some of the things that patients should be aware of before agreeing to anesthesia include the following:
- Whether or not they are allergic to anesthesia.
- Whether or not anyone in their immediate family has had an adverse reaction to anesthesia.
- Whether or not there are any alternatives to anesthesia that they may consider.
- Whether or not there is an option to meet with their team of anesthesiologists to discuss what will happen and any adverse reactions to be aware of.
In a stunning statistic, The Washington Post reports that medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the United States. Often, these errors are preventable with proper training, adherence to protocols and thorough communication procedures among doctors. Patients that ask questions, are actively involved in their health care decisions and hold their doctors to a high standard of care, can also greatly reduce their chances of being the victim of a medical error.