Conscious sedation: a multidisciplinary team approach

The administration of intravenous conscious sedation for patients undergoing minor procedures has increased in many settings throughout health care. Recognizing this, managers are challenged to develop policies to standardize the quality of patient care delivery. Consumer interest and knowledge in health care has increased dramatically in the last few years. Their demands for decreased cost, increased technology, and quality of care have compelled health care organizations to adopt quality management models. Quality improvement teams were developed to look at processes crossing departmental boundaries. Teams facilitate dialogue, understanding, and knowledge, and use the scientific method to design, streamline, and improve processes. The authors share strategies for policy development using a 7-step quality improvement process with a multidisciplinary team approach.