Staffing

Staff who deliver or monitor procedural sedation and analgesia must:

• have experience with the drug(s) being administered
• be able to assess the level of sedation achieved
• be able to manage sedation at least one level deeper than that intended (eg be able to manage deep sedation if conscious sedation is planned)
• have airway and resuscitation skills applicable to the patient being treated (including their age [neonate, child or adult] and condition)
• meet relevant training and credentialing requirements as described by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

#agg7-c19-s4-3__tagg7-c19-tbl3 outlines the minimum staffing requirements for the various levels of procedural sedation and analgesia. An increased number of staff and skillset are required as the level of sedation increases or the situation becomes more complex (eg the patient’s comorbidities increase the risk of complications). In particular, deep sedation must only be administered by an anaesthetist, or another trained and credentialed medical practitioner within their scope of practice, alongside a medical proceduralist, with support from an appropriately trained assistant. For further detail, see the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and Faculty of Pain Medicine Guideline on sedation and/or analgesia for diagnostic and interventional medical, dental or surgical procedures [URL].