title: Administering conscious sedation. Operational guidelines.
abstract: The nurse must be aware of her or his role and responsibilities when implementing IVCS guidelines. Nurses performing IVCS must be knowledgeable of state and institutional guidelines for IVCS, medications included in IVCS, and the assessment, monitoring, and documentation required in caring for the patient receiving IVCS. The process of IVCS may seem tedious, but if an institution has clearly defined expectations, as provided in the IVCS guidelines, the process is much more understandable and can be readily instituted. The patient undergoing IVCS deserves the highest quality care possible with the fewest complications, a situation that can be achieved with proper preparation and implementation of an IVCS program.
authors.affiliation: PACU/PCU, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bryan
mesh_terms: D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017749:Total Quality Management