Essential Emergency Procedural Sedation and Pain Management

By

• Rahim Valani MD, CCFP-EM, PGDip Med Ed Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Kaushal H Shah M.D., FACEP Associate Residency Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

Procedural sedation is commonly utilized in the emergency department (ED) for patients undergoing painful procedures.  It is a critical interprofessional skill set required to allow the delivery of painful procedures such as fracture reduction or electrical cardioversion. Essential Emergency Procedural Sedation and Pain Management is a unique interprofessional handbook designed for staff physicians, residents, nurses, professionals, and allied health workers. Although procedural sedation is commonly employed and recognized as a required skill set for emergency physicians, there are barriers to its effective implementation in the ED.  The biggest hurdles are the lack of appropriate education in the area, a paucity of interprofessional educational programs, and a lack of proper education from professional training bodies. This handbook is designed for the health care team and encompasses the philosophy of interprofessional education.  The developing faculty members of the course are from medical, nursing, pharmacy, and educational backgrounds. This is critical in the development of any educational endeavor as it provides a means for all members to participate and understand the process effectively and in a complementary fashion.

• Contains the latest recommendations and references
• Covers both pediatric and adult populations
• Easy to access material
• Tables, flowcharts and algorithms allow for a quick look up for dosage, complications