During the COVID-19 pandemic, the commonwealth issued a temporary blanket waiver that enabled advanced practice nurses, including certified registered nurse anesthetists, to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training to enhance the state’s response to the health-care crisis.
A new study, “Impact of reduced restrictions in scope of practice of nurse anesthetists on patient safety across states,” published in Journal of Nursing Regulation, makes clear that was the right thing to do — and that the move led to real health-care benefits for patients.
The authors examined the impact of the pandemic-related reduced restrictions in scope of practice, specifically allowing CRNAs to practice to the full extent of their education and training, on anesthesia-related complications rates.
What they found is that there was a statistically significant reduction in anesthesia complications in states that allowed pandemic-related reduced restrictions in state scope of practice compared to states with no change in scope of practice.
In other words, the authors concluded that reduced restrictions in state scope of practice during the pandemic were not associated with any increase but in fact showed a decrease in anesthesia-related complications.
These findings add to existing evidence on the safety of anesthesia procedures performed by CRNAs and expand the evidence to include safe procedures during the pandemic. The findings inform strategic planning and public policy to reform the health-care system to prepare prudently for future emergencies.
Read the full report HERE.
