Pre-op is one of eleven films that make up the body of work Conscious.

It aims to represent how a series of seemingly minor events, incidents and failures can build upon each other and potentially result in a major problem. In the case recalled some of the errors are outlined and perhaps on their own they may not have resulted in an awareness, yet the clear breakdown of procedure and manner in which the patient was treated raise many questions.

The intention of this film is to ask those who have experienced an anaesthetic awareness to recount the events that lead to it: Are there aspects which now, when recalled, seem odd, or was there a clear break in procedure? How were you treated by the medical professionals prior to the incident. The question here is whether incidents of anaesthetic awareness, (and perhaps other incidents resulting from possible negligence) can be avoided.

Contributions would be welcomed here, not only from those who have experienced anaesthetic awareness, but also from other patients and medical professionals.

Comments and testimony can be recorded at anaestheticawareness.info

Conscious is the name of the project hosted at anaestheticawareness.info.
In it I have produced a series of films that retell the experience of one person’s anaesthetic awareness. The aim of the project is that these films will act as the catalyst for discourse amongst those who have experienced anaesthetic awareness, providing a conduit for valuable connections, potentially leading to a support community for those who are experiencing difficulties directly or indirectly connected to their experience.

Running alongside the online community project is the physical presence of this work. In this strand Conscious becomes an installation where trainee medical students can directly interact with the work by being shown films in designed spaces. These depict the environments connected to the anaesthetic awareness case represented in the films, the aim of this is to provide a visual, aural and experiential educational experience for the students, with the intention of promoting a better understanding of the issues amongst healthcare practitioners and, hopefully, reducing its future incidence. Invited participants are then asked to record their experience of the material directly at anaestheticawareness.info, thereby creating a connection between the two audiences, and potentially opening up new lines of discourse that would otherwise never exist.