Thanks to the hard work of our many members, the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care has endorsed seven documents (guidelines, consensus statements and educational resources), and all have been published in the official journal of SNACC, the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology (JNA) (available here). These documents are a significant contribution to the society, and represent the combined work of many SNACC members, both those in the working groups and our members who provide feedback and input. Consensus statement and guidelines are highly valuable to our membership, as well as non-members, and some have been endorsed by other specialty organizations such as the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN), the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) and the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS). The Cognitive Aids led by Dr. Amie Hoefnagel and the SNACC Education Committee were another significant undertaking of considerable use for our members. The number of SNACC-endorsed documents has increased significantly in recent years, with three published in the last year and more on the way – an incredible testament to the engagement and hard work of our membership.
As a result of the increased number of documents, range of topics and document types, as well as considerations for publication in JNA, SNACC has formalized the process for SNACC-endorsed documents, approved by the Board of Directors on May 1, 2021. On the website, our members can now access the “Policy and Procedures for SNACC-Endorsed Documents” which outlines the different types of documents, process for submission and approval of a proposal, document development, member review and submission to JNA. Our goal is to provide greater clarity about the different types of documents as well as standardizing the steps, requirements and process for obtaining member input. In addition, this process will ensure both SNACC and JNA are aware of all documents early in development, to plan appropriately and prevent any potential overlap. Much of this policy reflects our current practice, with additional detail about the steps needed.
Since the Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship Training Curricular Guidelines were published in 2013, led by Dr. George Mashour, the society has seen a steady increase in SNACC-endorsed publications. With this increase in activity, this new policy document will support the continued development of high-quality guidelines, statements and resources. Thank you to the Board of Directors for their input in developing this process.
The Policy and Procedures for SNACC-Endorsed Documents can be found here.
Alana Flexman, MD, FRCPC
SNACC Vice-President for Education and Scientific Affairs
SNACC Representative to the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology