Update of sedation in view of Joint Commission International standards

Although the practice of sedation has markedly increased and expanded beyond the operating room with the development of new diagnostic and minimally invasive surgical procedures, there is no guideline for hospitals to set up a sedation policy in Korea. The Joint Commission International (JCI), which is a division of Joint Commission of United States, has urged Korean hospitals to develop guidelines for sedation. Because JCI defines the sedation standards as a minimum, there is much for Korean medical association and physicians in charge of sedation to do in order to improve the safety of sedated patients and set up an economical and efficient sedation system. There are three main requirements to meet JCI standards. Aqualified individual responsible for sedation should complete a formal training program supervised by an anesthesiologist or experienced practitioner, and adequate facilities and monitoring systems must be available to safely care for patients throughout sedation. Secondly, a documentation process around sedation, including informed consent, pre-operative assessment, the parameters observed during sedation, and discharge criteria, should be organized according to the sedation policy, which in turn should be determined by an institutional sedation committee. Lastly, JCI requires continuous quality improvement activity, which can improve the efficiency of the sedation process and the safety of sedation care. Multi-departmental joint discussion may be necessary to advance the practice of sedation and avoid conflicts among departments. This review aims to highlight the starting points of adiscussionon local standards for sedation.