Society Guidelines

In the past several decades the practice of procedural sedation and analgesia has evolved into a distinct skill set and a service that has rapidly grown in terms of indications, need, practitioner types, and practice settings. The scope of non-anesthesiology sedation providers includes but is not limited to intensivists, emergency medicine physicians, hospitalists, dentists, gastroenterologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists, advanced practice providers, and nursing. Several subspecialty societies and regulatory institutions have published and revised guidelines and standards to enhance patient safety by standardizing various aspects related to patient evaluation, personnel, monitoring, and management of procedural sedation and analgesia and its recovery. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the American College of Emergency Physicians are the groups that have published the most widely disseminated, comprehensive guidelines. This chapter gives an overview of these societies’ guidelines.