Endoscopy unit


An endoscopy unit refers to a dedicated area where medical procedures are performed with endoscopes, which are cameras used to visualize structures within the body, such as the digestive tract and genitourinary system. Endoscopy units may be located within a hospital, incorporated within other medical care centres, or may be stand-alone in nature.
In the early days of endoscopy, when fewer procedures were carried out, facilities such as operating theatres tended to be used; as the number of procedures carried out and the complexity of the procedures and equipment increased, the need for specialised rooms and staff became apparent.

Components

An endoscopy unit consists of the following components: trained and accredited endoscopists ; trained nursing and additional staff; endoscopes and other equipment; preparation, procedural and recovery areas; a disinfection and cleaning area for equipment; emergency equipment and personnel; and, a program for quality assurance. Procedures performed within an endoscopy unit may include gastrointestinal endoscopy, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, or other more specialized procedures. Endoscopy units may be part of a hospital, where emergency procedures may be performed on ill patients admitted to hospital; however, most endoscopies are performed on ambulatory patients in the outpatient setting.

Layout

Endoscopy units consist of a number of areas:
These are the rooms where the endoscopic procedures are performed.
Procedure rooms should to contain:
Procedure rooms should be at least in size, and hospitals should have at least two procedure rooms. Larger endoscopy units should contain one procedure room per 1,000 to 1,500 procedures performed annually.

Recovery area

Since a number of patients undergoing endoscopy receive sedation, and a few emergency patients may be unstable, there must be an area available for the observation of patients until they have recovered. These areas also need to have piped oxygen, full monitoring facilities, suction, resuscitation equipment and emergency drugs.