The Society for Pediatric Sedation® (SPS) strives to advance the practice of pediatric sedation by promoting safe, high-quality care; this goal includes serving as a resource for published guidelines and consensus documents. This Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation (COE) description has been developed via expert opinion through the SPS Quality and Safety Committee utilizing published data, when available, and extrapolating from quality data and expert opinion. The purpose of the COE description is to provide a guide for improvement for centers already providing pediatric procedural sedation and to also serve as a template for centers starting a pediatric sedation practice. It is highly unlikely that a single center will be able to achieve all of the goals outlined in this COE document. This COE description is an outline of an absolutely ideal, utopian environment for the delivery of safe, effective, efficient, timely and equitable patient-centered pediatric procedural sedation.
The authors of the Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation document have made efforts to ensure that any references cited are accurate and up to date. However, it is strongly recommended that users confirm that the information contained within is correct by way of independent verification and has not been further updated since publication/posting of this document. The COE description does not intend to replace or supersede any state or Federal guidelines or recommendations pertaining to pediatric procedural sedation. Neither the Society for Pediatric Sedation® nor the authors accept responsibility for any inaccuracies, information perceived as misleading, or the success or failure of any procedural sedation or sedation program based on the statements made in the Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation description.
Quality Projects of Winning COE Institutions
One of the biggest benefits of involvement in the Society for Pediatric Sedation is learning from and being inspired by each other. The SPS Center of Excellence application asks institutions to report on quality journeys they have undertaken. Many of the Center of Excellence application reviewers commented that they were inspired by several of these stories. With the applicants’ permission, we are highlighting a series of these quality stories to inspire your teams as well.
If you are using these Quality Stories as examples for your own Center of Excellence application, keep in mind that the application has changed over the years, and the Quality Story prompt may have been different for these applicants than it is currently. Please pay close attention to the specific instructions on the current application in order to fulfill the criteria for the current Center of Excellence application.
Click here to view our quality stories.
Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation Application Procedure
Applications are now being accepted for the designation period of 2024-2028. The same application is to be used by institutions not currently designated as an SPS Center of Excellence (those applying for the first time and those applying again) and institutions currently designated as a Center of Excellence (2020-2024) wishing to renew/continue their designation. The final day for submission of applications in either category is October 2, 2023.
This application is designed for the use of integrated pediatric sedation programs to apply for the designation of Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation. It is not intended for programs that provide sedation as a portion of other patient care, such as pediatric intensive care units or emergency departments.
For institutions interested in learning what is on the application, please view the Consensus Statement on Pediatric Sedation Center of Excellence. This document outlines an approach sedation services can take that matches the application process, although not everything in the Consensus statement will need to be covered for an institution to become a sedation Center of Excellence.
Any Institutional Member of the Society for Pediatric Sedation®, as well as nonmember institutions, may apply for designation as a Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation. As a member benefit, the application fee is waived for Platinum Institutional Members.
2023 Application Fee Schedule
| Platinum Member Institutions | Complimentary |
| Gold-Data and Gold-Education Member Institutions | $1,000 |
| Non-member Institutions | $5,000 |
More information about becoming an SPS Institutional Member can be obtained here.
Application Process
First Step: Register for an Application Login. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the application.
Once Registered: Log in to Create or Complete Your Application. Your application can be saved at any point so you can return and continue throughout the process.
Password Reminders: Reset Application password.
2023 Application Timeline for Designation 2024-2028
October 2: Submission Deadline
October 3 – January 30: Applications will go through 1-3 rounds of review. Applications will be apprised of the status of each round of review.
February 1: Applications notified of the reviewers’ determination.
Application Overview
- There are ten (10) sections of the application in addition to the demographic section of applicant information and the attestation statement. Each section must be completed fully for the application to be considered. Sections are divided by the categories listed in the Consensus Statement.
- Answers must reflect the current state of the pediatric procedural sedation service and not planned or future projects in the works.
- The Institution’s name will be replaced by the Society for Pediatric Sedation® administration with an Institution Code to maintain institution anonymity.
- Applications and all supporting documents are usually due mid fall.
- It is the sole responsibility of the submitting institution to remove all patient identifiers from the application prior to submission.
- Center of Excellence Designation Frequently Asked Questions