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Anesthesiologists, An Overlooked Resource: An Exposé on Anesthesiologists as Leaders in Disaster Preparedness and Response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2025

Deborah Schwengel Open the ORCID record for Deborah Schwengel [Opens in a new window] ,
Meera Gangadharan ,
Kelly Chilson ,
Ellen Choi ,
Ashley Weinhold ,
Amanda Widing ,
Wendy Binstock ,
Robert Greenberg  and
Christina Diaz
Deborah Schwengel*
Affiliation:
https://ror.org/037zgn354Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
Meera Gangadharan
Affiliation:
https://ror.org/03gds6c39University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Kelly Chilson
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, https://ror.org/01yc7t268Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA
Ellen Choi
Affiliation:
University of Chicago, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Chicago, IL, USA
Ashley Weinhold
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, https://ror.org/01yc7t268Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA
Amanda Widing
Affiliation:
https://ror.org/00qqv6244Medical College of Wisconsin/Children’s Wisconsin, Department of Anesthesiology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Wendy Binstock
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology, Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, https://ror.org/03a6zw892Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
Robert Greenberg
Affiliation:
https://ror.org/037zgn354Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
Christina Diaz
Affiliation:
https://ror.org/037zgn354Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD, USA
*
Corresponding author: Deborah Schwengel; Email: dschwen1@jhmi.edu
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Abstract

Anesthesiologists are broadly trained members of the health care workforce, managing patients daily using advanced stabilization/resuscitative techniques. They work in a collaborative, team-based model and lead multidisciplinary teams. Their work includes prioritizing patients according to the complexities of their disease presentations, and threats to life and limb. Trauma care is a regular part of the anesthesiologist’s job. The presence of anesthesiologists is required in hospitals to achieve the designation “level 1” trauma center. Anesthesiology is a specialty known for promoting safe practice principles and improving quality of care, utilizing crisis resource management and implementing cognitive aids. Despite these skillsets, anesthesiologists are generally overlooked in disaster preparedness. The number of trained anesthesiologists is similar to that of emergency medicine physicians, and they are nearly twice as abundant as general surgeons. In countries outside the US, anesthesiologists are often included in the pre-hospital team.

The purpose of this article is to emphasize the skillsets of anesthesiologists and to advocate for their inclusion in disaster preparedness teams. Due to their presence and comfort throughout the hospital system, broad training in emergent and elective cases, resuscitation skills, procedural skills, communication skills, daily triage, and team management, anesthesiologists should be considered essential leaders during mass casualty incident preparation and response.

Keywords

anesthesiologistmass casualty incidentsmass casualty preparednessskillscrisis resource management

Information

Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e198
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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