Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) has been provided to children in the emergency department for decades. When patients are evaluated properly, and adequate equipment, personnel, and medications are utilized, effective and safe PSA is delivered by the emergency physician, whether in a university or community setting, over a wide range of ages, and with a broad selection of medications.
The practice of emergency medicine has evolved significantly since the first 24/7 emergency departments (EDs) opened in the 1950s and 1960s. In the past few decades, EDs have experienced an onslaught of increased patient volumes, increased demand for critical care services, increasing ED lengths of stay (LOS), and increased patient boarding.
The number of lawsuits involving mid-level providers (MLPs) in the ED "seems to have skyrocketed in the last few years," according to Michael Blaivas, MD, FACEP, FAIUM, professor of emergency medicine at Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, GA. "There are multiple scenarios that result in successful suits, and there is a common theme among them."
