Anaesthesia
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A questionnaire circulated to members of the Intensive Care Society in England and Wales brought 101 replies, representing 74 hospitals, including 16 teaching hospitals. Anaesthesia is the dominant specialty in this field and the majority of general units included in this survey are staffed and directed by consultants from this specialty, though their involvement in such work varies widely. Only about half the units are largely supervised by consultants with a heavy commitment to it. ⋯ Despite this agreement on special training, only a small minority of members believe intensive care work should largely be restricted to separate career specialists, "intensivists'. However most recognise the need for each unit to have a largely full-time manager and coordinator, whose personal qualities are more important than his original specialty. Most units have one kind of problem or another, the most common being a shortage of money and nurses.