Practice Guidelines for Sedation and Analgesia by Non-Anesthesiologists

ANESTHESIOLOGISTS possess specific expertise in the pharmacology, physiology, and clinical management of patients receiving sedation and analgesia. For this reason, they are frequently called on to participate in the development of institutional policies and procedures for sedation and analgesia for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. To assist in this process, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has developed these “Guidelines for Sedation and Analgesia by Non-Anesthesiologists.” Practice guidelines are systematically developed recommendations that assist the practitioner and patient in making decisions about health care. These recommendations may be adopted, modified, or rejected according to clinical needs and constraints. Practice guidelines are not intended as standards or absolute requirements. The use of practice guidelines cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Practice guidelines are subject to revision as warranted by the evolution of medical knowledge, technology, and practice. The guidelines provide basic recommendations that are supported by analysis of the current literature and by a synthesis of expert opinion, open forum commentary, and clinical feasibility data. This revision includes data published since the “Guidelines for Sedation and Analgesia by Non-Anesthesiologists” were adopted by the ASA in 1995; it also includes data and recommendations for a wider range of sedation levels than was previously addressed.