OBJECTIVE. To study the clinical experience acquired by trainee anaesthesiologists after 6 years of training in Hong Kong.

DESIGN. Retrospective observational study.

SETTING. Recognised anaesthesiology training posts in the Hong Kong Hospital Authority.

PARTICIPANTS. All anaesthesiology trainees who sat the Exit Assessment between January 2001 and June 2002 after completing more than 48 months of anaesthetic training.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Anaesthetic experience of trainees.

RESULTS. All data provided by 25 trainees were computed for analysis. Each trainee administered a mean of 2668 anaesthetics over a 6-year period, including 57 anaesthetics for thoracic surgery, 15 for cardiac surgery, 213 for caesarian section (34% under general anaesthesia), and 100 for neurosurgical operations. The paediatric anaesthesia exposure involved a mean of 12 neonates and 180 children who were younger than 4 years. Apart from cardiac and thoracic anaesthesia, there was no statistical difference in subspecialty anaesthetic experience among trainees from different parent hospitals.

CONCLUSION. The current training system provides sufficient anaesthetic experience in terms of case variety and subspecialty case numbers. There was uneven exposure to cardiac, thoracic, and paediatric anaesthesia. An accurate logbook that is reviewed regularly by a supervisor will help ensure adequate subspecialty exposure. An electronic logbook will facilitate a more comprehensive reviewing process.

Key words: Anesthesiology/education; Medical audit; Records

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