Website to boost anesthesia education

A new website aims to help veterinarians get comfortable with anesthesia.

Jurox Animal Health, maker of Alfaxan, an anesthetic drug for cats and dogs, has introduced Think Anesthesia, a website and accompanying podcast series “to provide veterinary professionals a centralized platform of evidence-based anesthesia resources,” according to the announcement.

“Based on feedback from our advisory board and from veterinary professionals in private practice, we recognized that there was a gap in readily available content related to anesthesia education,” Dr. Elizabeth Martinez, Jurox’s director of technical services, said in an email. “As a manufacturer of an anesthetic drug for dogs and cats, we felt an obligation to provide resources on Think Anesthesia that will help veterinarians and veterinary technicians and nurses become more confident and competent in their role as anesthesia providers for their patients.”

The site features content written by a company team in partnership with subject matter experts. Peer-reviewed articles cover the basics of anesthesia as well as the associated physiology of capnography (a measure of carbon dioxide in exhaled air). Webinars, available for continuing education, cover topics like cardiovascular monitoring, analgesic alternatives to opioids, and comparisons of injectable anesthetics. The site also features training videos and charts for doctors to become more familiar with anesthesia.

“Most of the content on the website is RACE approved for [continuing education] and free to the website registrants,” Martinez said. (RACE refers to the American Association of Veterinary State Boards’ Registry of Approved Continuing Education programs.)

The podcast, which allows doctors to earn continuing education credits, features Martinez, a board-certified specialist in veterinary anesthesia and analgesia, who will discuss anesthesia-related topics and have conversations with key industry players.

The first episode, “Preparing for Anesthesia,” covers subjects like obtaining informed owner consent and recommended pre-anesthetic fasting times. Martinez said future episodes will focus on selection and use of anesthetic drugs, as well as patient management and how the veterinary industry can reduce the environmental impact of anesthesia techniques. An upcoming conversation will focus on the role of veterinary technicians and nurses in providing anesthesia.

“We are excited to be able to provide a website that is designed to support continuing education of veterinary professionals with diverse content,” Martinez said. “When I speak to our registered users, they are enthusiastic and appreciative of our efforts, which then helps to motivate the Think Anesthesia team to develop more high-quality content on relevant topics.”