Circulation 84,122 • Volume 25, No. 1 • Spring 2010   Issue PDF

Web Application to Track Patient Safety During Sedation

sedationThe University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has launched a free web application for tracking and notification of events that occur during procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA). Participating institutions have the ability to access their confidential data, run personalized reports, track user-defined metrics and comply with Joint Commission standards for tracking and notification of events that occur during PSA.

The number of noninvasive and minimally invasive procedures performed outside the traditional operating room has grown over the last several decades. These procedures performed in doctor’s offices, same-day surgery centers, procedural suites, or other non-operating room hospital sites, usually do not require general anesthesia. PSA may include a combination of sedative and analgesic agents and is administered by a medical professional who often times has no formal training in anesthesiology.

End-users at participating institutions will complete a short online case report form for each PSA administered. The web application transfers the unidentified information into a database that may be queried securely by program administrators at participating institutions. No HIPAA-protected information is retained within the database. The institution may then use the data for internal reviews of practices and standards or for reporting to accreditation agencies such as Joint Commission. Events that occur during PSA initiate an automated notification to pre-designated institutional personnel. In addition to events that occur during PSA, the application tracks interventions required and monitoring modalities utilized.

SafeSedation was developed by Chad Epps MD, Departments of Anesthesiology and Clinical & Diagnostic Sciences and is supported by a grant from Oridion Capnography, Inc. Under UAB IRB approval, Dr. Epps will use the unidentified aggregate patient data to take an across-the-board look at PSA safety and the way it is currently administered and monitored. To view a demonstration video and sign up for a free account, go to
www.SafeSedation.org.