The transition from textbooks or journal article learning to an application of information in a specific clinical situation is one of the most challenging tasks in medicine. It requires retention of information, the organization of facts, and recall of a myriad data with precise application to the patient. In Anaesthesiology, this application of information requires an additional dimension: time. Time is an ever present consideration for anesthesiologists because, in the direst situations such as an inability to secure airway or to preserve cardiac output, life is sustained only for minutes, not hours.
The purpose of this text is to facilitate this process. The first step is to gathering information, also known as establishing the database. This includes recording the patient's history; performing the physical examination; and obtaining selective laboratory examinations and/or…
