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Safety guidelines: Update from American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
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Safety guidelines for gastrointestinal endoscopy units were announced in March 2014 by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
“Over the past 2 years, surveyors have called into question accepted practices at many accredited endoscopy units seeking reaccreditation,” Audrey H. Calderwood, MD, said in an ASGE statement on the new guidelines.
Although rare, reports of transmission of infectious agents related to GI endoscopy “have highlighted the need to address potential areas … that could impact patient safety,” ASGE officials wrote.
The guidelines also include a summary of issues faced by endoscopy units in the United States, matched with the ASGE’s position on the issue and supporting rationale.
The new guidelines also attempt to address issues stemming from 2009 regulatory changes eliminating the distinction between a sterile surgical room and a nonsterile procedure room.
The ASGE guidelines cover the following:
Facilities Recommendations
- Architectural layout
- Endoscopic procedure room
- Endoscopic recovery area
- Storage of supplies
Infection control
- Hand hygiene
- PPE
- Safe medication administration practices
- Safe handling of potentially contaminated equipment or surfaces
- Terminal cleansing
- Reusable medical equipment
Staffing
- Preprocedure staffing
- Intraprocedure staffing based on level of sedation4
- Postprocedure staffing
- Training
Endoscopic Sedation
- Sedation-related environment
- Sedation-related equipment
- Patient monitoring
- Medications
- Emergency management
Additional Resources:
Endoscopy Curbside Consultations