The Medical Radiation Technologist Model: a Streamlined Process for Procedural Sedations

Background : Procedural sedations (PS) are a more routine form a sedation and is growing in popularity. Because it is less complex than traditional sedations, some PSs may not require the presence of a nurse. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the Medical Radiation Technologists (MRT) model, which forgo the presence of a Registered Nurse (RN), for PS in Computed Tomography biopsies. Methods : The setting was a teaching hospital that moved from an RN to an MRT model for routine Computed Tomography biopsies. Wecompared staff utilization, turnaround times and incident reports between pre and post implementation, over 19 months overall. Results : No adverse events were observed under either model. Wait times were reduced by 25% from 131 to 98 minutes. Turnaround times were reduced by 2 minutes from 52 to 50 minutes. The joint cost of RN/MRIT was reduced by 37% per procedure, from $141 to $88. Conclusion : These results suggest that the MRT model for PS is more cost-effective without compromising quality of care. The MRT model is promising and should be extended to more facilities and other routine PS to save time and resources.