The Red Book - The College of Family Physicians Canada

The family physician is a skilled clinician.When providing anesthetic services, family physicians demonstrate competence in thepatient-centred clinical method. They integrate a sensitive, skillful, and appropriate search fordisease with an understanding of the patient’s experience of illness.They have expert knowledge and skills related to the wide range of common healthproblems and conditions of patients in the community. Their approach to health care is basedon the best scientific evidence available. They recognize and treat serious or rare problems asappropriate.An FP-A resident must acquire the knowledge and skills related to the following:• Knowledge of pharmacology, physiology, and anesthetic equipment• Risk assessment and perioperative anesthetic care• Technical competence in airway management and skills in obstetric, pediatric, regional, andtrauma anesthesiaThe section “The Scope of the Curriculum for Family Physician Anesthesia Resident Training”(page 45) contains an overview of the scope that might be included in an FP-A curriculum.Family medicine is community based.Anesthesia services serve the community and are significantly influenced by communityfactors. As a member of the community, the family physician working in an anesthesia service isable to respond to people’s changing needs, to adapt quickly to changing circumstances, and tomobilize appropriate resources to address patients’ needs.The FP-A resident must acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to do the following:• Understand the importance of good working relationships within the anesthesia service,with other hospital-based services, and with referring hospitals• Maintain a collegial relationship with consultants and family physiciansThe family physician is a resource to a defined practice population.The family physician views his or her patients as a “population at risk,” and practices toensure that the health of these patients is maintained. This requires the knowledge and skills toassess the effectiveness of care provided, the ability to use medical records and other informationsystems effectively, and the ability to plan and implement policies that will enhance patienthealth.41