Preparation of sedation–analgesia procedures in Spanish paediatric emergency departments: A descriptive study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The objective of this study was to describe the current practice regarding the preparation of the sedation–analgesia (SA) procedures performed in the paediatric emergency centres in Spain. Material and methods A multicentre, observational and prospective analytical study was carried out on the SA procedures that were performed on children under 18 years old in 18 paediatric emergency departments between February 2015 and January 2016. Results A total of 658 SA procedures were registered in 18 hospitals of Spain, most of them to children older than 24 months. The type of the procedure was: simple analgesia in 57 (8.6%), sedation in 44 (6.7%), SA for a not very painful procedure in 275 (41.8%), and SA for a very painful procedure in 282 (42.9%). Informed consent was requested in 98.6% of the cases. The written form was more frequently preferred in the group of patients that received SA for a very painful procedure (76.6%) in comparison to a painful procedure or to simple analgesia (62.9% and 54.4%, respectively, p Conclusion The majority of the SA procedures analysed in this study have been carried out correctly and prepared in accordance with the current guidelines.