Safe Sedation Office Practices

Safe Sedation Office Practices:

Well-defined patient selection guidelines.  Not everyone is a candidate for sedation or for office surgery.

Monitoring equipment with a backup electrical source.

Adequate numbers of well-trained staff to support the surgery and sedation.

Ability to treat problems and emergencies.

Plans for transferring patients or other healthcare facilities if necessary.

A sterile environment including strictly enforced guidelines for hand washing and equipment use.

Minimal testing before surgery, including required consultations.

Routine equipment maintenance.

Clearly defined procedures for patient recovery and discharge.

Procedures for follow-up care.

Is your patient in a safe practice setting? The Institute of Medicine reported in 1999 that anesthesia is nearly 50 times safer than it was in the 1980s. Can we say the same about nurse sedation?   It was in the 90s that non-anesthetist nurses giving sedation became controversial.  Only by developing standards and creating a reporting system can we answer this question.

Here is a list to consider for your area of sedation practice:

  • Well-defined patient selection guidelines.  Not everyone is a candidate for sedation or for office surgery.
  • Monitoring equipment with a backup electrical source.
  • Adequate numbers of well-trained staff to support the surgery and sedation.
  • Ability to treat problems and emergencies.
  • Plans for transferring patients or other healthcare facilities if necessary.
  • A sterile environment including strictly enforced guidelines for hand washing and equipment use.
  • Minimal testing before surgery, including required consultations.
  • Routine equipment maintenance.
  • Clearly defined procedures for patient recovery and discharge.
  • Procedures for follow-up care.