Certified Nurses Operating Room (CNOR) Practice Exam

Monitoring intravenous sedation (IVS) after drug administration is critical to ensure patient safety and intervene promptly if adverse reactions occur. Monitoring every 15 minutes is considered a standard practice because it strikes a balance between being frequent enough to detect any developing issues and not burdening healthcare staff excessively.

At the 15-minute mark, healthcare providers can effectively assess the patient's response to the medication, checking vital signs and overall sedation levels. This interval helps in timely identification of complications such as respiratory depression or hypotension, which can sometimes manifest shortly after drug administration.

More frequent monitoring, such as every 5 or 10 minutes, could lead to unnecessary alarm or resource strain, while less frequent monitoring, like every 30 minutes, may delay critical interventions. Thus, the 15-minute interval is widely recognized as a best practice guideline in various clinical settings for the safety and well-being of patients receiving sedation.