The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf today announced new guidelines for subanesthetic dosing of Ketamine, Guidelines for the Safe Administration of Subanesthetic Ketamine, to assist physicians and advanced practice nurses working to treat patients.
These guidelines were developed by the Safe and Effective Prescribing Task Force, which included a representative of the Pennsylvania Association or Nurse Anesthetists.
Jessica Poole, DNAP, MHS, CRNA, and Government Relations Director for PANA, represented the profession on the Department of Health committee, which studied the issue for roughly two years before issuing the guidelines.
CRNAs are playing a major role in curtailing the opioid epidemic by manipulating their anesthetic to provide narcotic-sparing and often narcotic-free anesthesia. Additionally, anesthesia professionals utilize subanesthetic doses of Ketamine to treat opioid-tolerant patients, chronic non-cancer pain patients, and those in palliative care.
The ketamine guideline differs from previous prescribing guidelines by addressing administration of a non-opioid.
The ketamine guideline provides best practices for the subanesthetic administration of ketamine for a variety of conditions. This includes recommendations for the treatment team, treatment location, patient selection, and patient monitoring.
Learn more about this important decision HERE. Or access the Guidelines for the Safe Administration of Subanesthetic Ketamine directly.