The Current Status of Nurse-Administered Propofol Sedation in Endoscopy: An Evidence-Based Practice Nurse Fellowship Project.

The Society for Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) launched a nurse fellowship program in 2011 to promote evidence-based practice. Each accepted applicant was challenged to select a relevant topic, explore the current research, and translate this information to daily practice. The author, an SGNA Fellow, selected the topic, nurse-administered propofol sedation, that has been a prevailing subject in endoscopy for many years. A significant amount of literature has been written on the drug's safety and efficacy. This article explores a brief history of the practice and the future of this controversial drug for procedural sedation. A review of current literature is explored with an emphasis on the past 5 years as well as a discussion on regulatory limitations that have been placed on the practice of non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol sedation.