Nursing Perspective

The nursing process can be used in the safe and effective delivery of pediatric sedation care. Nurses contribute to the direct care of sedated patients by developing competency and expanding knowledge and expertise within their specialty. While the provision of care to patients and families is of paramount importance, ensuring an environment conducive to delivery of safe, quality care by the healthcare team is another fundamental aspect of nursing. Management of sedation, analgesia, and anxiety in pediatric procedural sedation is an intrinsically multidisciplinary process that involves nursing, physicians, child life specialists, and other healthcare providers. In general, pediatric procedural sedation is a relatively new specialty with limited data on the role of the pediatric nurse in this multiprofessional team. It is an opportunity for nursing to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to establish guidelines and protocols to facilitate optimal patient care and efficiency as well as to share and expand their knowledge base and clinical skill set. Specialty certification and credentialing, team concept values, and the evolving role of the sedation nurse are all elements to consider within pediatric procedural sedation from the nursing perspective.