Improving Quality and Safety In Your Endoscopy Unit: On-Demand | October 2022 OLQUALOCT22-Guideline

Guideline_ASGE guidelines for safety

Pdf Summary

Historically, safety in the gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy unit has focused primarily on infection control. However, recent outbreaks related to GI endoscopy have emphasized the need to address other potential gaps in patient safety. This document provides guidelines for implementing and prioritizing safety efforts in endoscopy units. It emphasizes that safety requirements should be evidence-based and rooted in patient outcomes, and that unnecessary requirements should be avoided to control healthcare costs.<br /><br />The document highlights several issues and provides recommendations for each. For example, it suggests that standard 36-inch doors and room sizes of 180 square feet are sufficient for endoscopy units, as they do not use the same large equipment or number of staff as operating rooms. It recommends that endoscopy units define low-risk and high-risk exposure areas and activities, and establish policies for appropriate use and changing of personal protective equipment (PPE). It also suggests that staff directly involved in endoscopy or in processes where splash or contamination could occur should wear gloves, face and/or eye shields, and impervious gowns. Moreover, it states that moderate sedation can be safely administered under the supervision of a non-anesthesia physician who is credentialed and privileged to do so, and that two nurses are not required when moderate sedation is performed.<br /><br />The document stresses the importance of infection control and provides recommendations for hand hygiene, use of PPE, safe medication administration practices, and safe handling of potentially contaminated equipment or surfaces. It also outlines recommendations for facility standards, patient monitoring, and training of endoscopy staff.<br /><br />In summary, this document provides guidelines for ensuring safety in the GI endoscopy unit, focusing on evidence-based requirements and patient outcomes. It addresses issues related to staff, sedation, infection control, and facility layout, providing recommendations for each.

Keywords

GI endoscopy unit

patient safety

infection control

safety guidelines

endoscopy units

personal protective equipment

moderate sedation

hand hygiene

safe medication administration

facility standards