Table 5 Perceived challenges to the profession of anesthesiology according to practice size and frequency of direct-entry anesthesiologists performing their own cases
Count (%) of Direct-Entry Anesthesiologists’ responses (n = 463) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of anesthesiologists in the group | Large (> 50) | Medium (10–50) | Small (< 10) | |||
Frequency of performing own cases | Never or Infrequently (n = 90) | Often or Exclusively (n = 73) | Never or Infrequently (n = 89) | Often or Exclusively (n = 132) | Never or Infrequently (n = 27) | Often or Exclusively (n = 52) |
Competition from non-physician providers | 35 (38.9)* | 26 (35.6)* | 46 (51.7) | 74 (56.1) | 17 (63.0) | 30 (57.7) |
External perception of anesthesiologist value | 38 (42.2) | 25 (34.2) | 30 (33.7) | 32 (24.2)* | 8 (29.6) | 12 (23.1)* |
Apathy from anesthesiologist colleagues | 9 (10.0) | 4 (5.5) | 2 (2.2)* | 9 (6.8) | 1 (3.7) | 3 (5.8) |
Role of anesthesiologists | 4 (4.4) | 2 (2.7) | 2 (2.2) | 3 (2.3) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.8) |
Compensation | 11 (12.2)* | 17 (23.3) | 17 (19.1) | 23 (17.4) | 3 (11.1) | 8 (15.4) |
Uncertainty of changes in the healthcare system | 6 (6.7) | 7 (9.6) | 8 (9.0) | 17 (12.9) | 1 (3.7) | 5 (9.6) |
Threats to patient care | 9 (10.0) | 10 (13.7) | 7 (7.9) | 18 (13.6) | 2 (7.4) | 2 (3.8)* |
Corporationized management | 9 (10.0) | 8 (11.0) | 8 (9.0) | 13 (9.8) | 2 (7.4) | 5 (9.6) |
Psychological pressures | 9 (10.0) | 4 (5.5) | 3 (3.4)* | 12 (9.1) | 2 (7.4) | 1 (1.9) |
Meeting the standards | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.1) | 3 (2.3) | 1 (3.7) | 3 (5.8) |