Sedation practice in the intensive care unit: a UK national survey
2008

Sedation Practices in UK Intensive Care Units

Sample size: 192 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Henrik Reschreiter, Matt Maiden, Atul Kapila

Primary Institution: Royal Adelaide Hospital

Hypothesis

What are the current sedation practices in UK intensive care units?

Conclusion

Most UK ICUs use a sedation guideline and sedation scoring tool, and daily sedation holding is practiced in the majority of units.

Supporting Evidence

  • 88% of responding ICUs used a sedation scoring tool.
  • 80% of units have a written sedation guideline.
  • 78% of ICUs practice daily sedation holding.
  • The Ramsey Sedation Scale is the most commonly used sedation score.

Takeaway

This study looked at how hospitals in the UK put patients to sleep when they need help breathing. Most hospitals have rules for this and check how well they follow them.

Methodology

A national postal survey was conducted in all UK ICUs.

Potential Biases

Responses may reflect the practice of the individual who answered rather than the entire unit.

Limitations

Reporter bias cannot be excluded, and responses may not represent the entire unit's practice.

Participant Demographics

Responses were received from 185 ICUs across the UK, with a variety of bed sizes and patient types.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/cc7141

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