Today's hospital based gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy suite faces a unique challenge. With the rise in the acuity of the hospitalized patient population, more nursing resources and expertise are required to assure inpatients a safe, comfortable, and timely endoscopic procedure. In our busy 10 room combined inpatient/outpatient endoscopy unit, the nursing staff found some inpatients presenting for procedures were either at too high a risk for nurse-administered procedural sedation or had other medical issues that needed to be addressed prior to the procedure (i.e., transfusion of blood products, reversal of anticoagulation, and incomplete bowel preparation). This led to long delays or cancellation of scheduled endoscopic procedures. This presentation will chronicle the development of a nurse triage system that has allowed more prompt identification of patients requiring anesthesia-monitored sedation as well as early identification of other barriers to care. Using a PowerPoint presentation, individual case presentation, and audience discussion, details of the nurse triage program including information gained from ongoing quality assurance assessments will be examined.

Section Description

We are pleased to present the abstracts from SGNA's 33rd Annual Course, SGNA on a Mission: Exceeding Expectations. The diversity of these topics certainly reflects the richness and breadth of our specialty. In keeping with the tradition of the Annual Course, we hope the following abstracts will encourage discussions for improving nursing practice and patient care outcomes.