A Checklist to Document Sedation Competency

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Pediatric procedural sedation is an area of increasing focus. In practice, many pediatricians may be called upon to provide sedation for children in diverse settings. We developed a pediatric sedation checklist to assist in documentation of competency in the complicated process of pediatric sedation. This checklist can be used during the direct observation of a trainee to document medical knowledge, patient care, and communication skills during a pediatric sedation. Methods This checklist must be completed by a sedation certified attending who is present in the room while the resident is performing sedation. Any actions not directly observed may also be discussed. Items in bold on the checklist must be reviewed at each sedation. A total of five sedations must be completed by each resident, with a cumulative total of 45 different items being observed or discussed over the course of these five sessions. Results This sedation checklist has been used for over 1 year in our pediatric residency. We have used it as part of our process to document resident competence in pediatric procedural sedation. Discussion The challenges included finding available sedation certified faculty to observe the sedations. Also, it was a challenge to encourage residents to complete the five sedations in a timely manner.

Keywords

• Sedation
• Anesthesia and Analgesia
• Children