In many organisations the anaesthetic/theatre teams are able to care for one patient in theatre, with an effective block, coming towards the end of their procedure and another in the anaesthetic room having their block administered. Often the escort who brings the patient from the ward/day unit (either a member of the ward staff or theatre team) will remain in the anaesthetic room with the patient to assist with the block and keeping the patient company while they wait for it to take effect and the theatre to be ready for them.
Both of the above are methods to enhance patient flow through the theatre suite. While they can be highly effective with anaesthetists alone they are often made more efficient by using AAs, often at a ratio of 2 AAs to each supervising consultant anaesthetist.
AAs involved in hand surgery services will often become highly skilled in regional anaesthesia techniques. This is beneficial for the patients as they receive quality care but also for training as the AAs can support the skill acquisition and mastery of anaesthetists in training.