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Check out four quick ways to help staff comply with the preanesthesia/presedation standard

Accreditation Connection, August 20, 2004

1. Educate medical staff on the definitions of moderate and deep sedation. Be sure your entire organization understands your definitions of moderate and deep sedation and what constitutes a complete assessment of a patient.

If they don't, redefine your terms and educate them, says Glenn D. Krasker, MHSA, president of Critical Management Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in medical error risk reduction in Wilmington, DE.

2. Provide a preanesthesia checklist. Make preanesthesia assessments quick and easy with a tool, such as a checklist.

Standardize it, and ensure that all departments use it, says Krasker. (For a sample checklist, see the PDF of this issue).

3. Assign a gatekeeper. Elect a person with the approval of management and medical staff leadership who have the authority to stop procedures that don't have a complete assessment, says Krasker.

4. Do a chart audit. Ask every physician involved in presedation/preanethesia assessments to give you three of their patient charts, suggests John Rosing, MHA, FACHE, senior consultant with The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., in Marblehead, MA.

Review them to make sure physicians are using the same forms and filling them out correctly. If you find something missing or inaccurate use it as an opportunity to give gentle coaching on how they should complete assessments at your hospital.

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