This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) describes the use of agents, such as sedatives and analgesics, to alleviate anxiety, pain and fear during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. [1] The South African Society for Anaesthesiologists (SASA) defines the goals of procedural sedation as reducing the patient's fear, anxiety and distress while minimising physical discomfort, pain and psychological trauma, maintaining control of physiological parameters and ensuring patient safety. [2] Inadequate pain management in the paediatric population has the potential for lasting negative consequences and therefore adequate pain management is an essential part of PSA. [3,4] The use of PSA has been validated and extensively researched as an adjunct to facilitate procedures in the paediatric population. [4][5][6] Procedural sedation is a continuum. It ranges from mild sedation, through to moderate and deep sedation, and finally culminates in the induction of general anaesthesia. [2] Sedation should be considered as a dose-dependent change in the level of consciousness that should be titrated according to the patient's response by administration of the minimum amount necessary to avoid unintended deeper levels of sedation. [7] Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are often facilitated with the performance of moderate to deep sedation, with the patient or the procedure dictating the intended level of sedation required. [4] Unfortunately there is currently no single risk-free sedative that fulfils all the criteria as the perfect agent for PSA. [8] PSA has been performed in various locations throughout our paediatric tertiary referral hospital by anaesthetists and nonanaesthetists. This study sought to understand the nature and extent of PSA provision in the hospital as a precursor to setting up a formalised out-of-theatre sedation service. MethodsA prospective observational study of all consecutive patients <13 years of age requiring PSA for diagnostic or therapeutic indications outside the operating theatre was performed at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH), a paediatric, tertiary-level referral centre in Cape Town, South Africa (SA). The primary objective was to determine the number of sedations performed. PSA performed in the intensive care unit and the trauma unit were excluded from this study as they would not fall within the remit of an out-of-theatre sedation service were it to be established.During the time of the study, the number of cases was measured by a twice-weekly audit of the scheduled drug books in each ward and outpatient area. Medications known to be used for PSA in each area (dexmedetomidine, propofol, ketamine, midazolam, etomidate, fentanyl or chloral hydrate) were audited and patient hospital numbers correlated with records of procedural sedations kept by the unit manager in each area/ward. The hospital identification numbers were not recorded to preserve anonymity.Attending clinicians completed a data cap...

Background: Patient satisfaction is multidimensional. The clinician's perspective of a good outcome and the patient's experience of a satisfactory service are often two different end-points. The primary aim of our study was to assess the perioperative experience of patients undergoing procedural sedation. A secondary aim was to create a postoperative questionnaire which could be used as a measurement tool. The questions could also be used as an audit to assist with adherence to quality assurance and clinical governance. Method: A questionnaire was compiled to attempt to assess the perioperative aspects of procedural sedation. Five hundred consecutive patients undergoing procedural sedation for dental-related outpatient procedures were asked to complete a questionnaire. Patients who didn't complete it were excluded. Ninety-eight per cent of the patients returned the questionnaire and 489 questionnaires were evaluated. Results: A total of 489 patients were included. Ninety-three per cent of the patients expressed a good (7+/10) overall experience of procedural sedation, and 92.6% indicated that they would recommend it to others. Conclusion: Our study population showed a high level of satisfaction with their sedation experience. It is suggested that the devised questionnaire could be used successfully in future as an assessment tool or audit of patient satisfaction following procedural sedation for ambulatory surgery.

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Foreword to the third edition of the SASA paediatric guidelines for the safe use of procedural sedation and analgesia for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in children V

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