Electronic publishing.

Sedation and analgesia for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures outside the operating room by non-anaesthesiologist physicians is becoming more frequent. In reaction to sedation casualties a multidisciplinary committee organized by the National Organization for Quality Assurance in Hospitals (CBO) has developed guidelines for sedation and analgesia by non-anaesthesiologists for psychologically or physically distressing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In these guidelines the conditions for a qualitatively safe way of sedation or analgesia are being emphasized. It may be expected that with these guidelines sedation and analgesia by non-anaesthesiologists will increase further. With a view to the safety of the patient diagnostic and therapeutic procedures which require sedation for psychological or physical reasons should be concentrated in a diagnostic/therapeutic complex, connected to the operating complex, where it is possible to consult the expertise of an anaesthesiologist.

Anesthesiology↗