The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a new guideline that will ensure that anxious young NHS patients do not receive ineffective or unsafe sedation drugs ahead of any therapeutic or diagnostic procedure, such as a biopsy or MRI scan, correcting a dislocated joint, or dental treatment.

Standards of practice in delivering sedation vary greatly across the country. The new guideline incorporates a series of recommendations for healthcare professionals:

  • Ensuring that trained healthcare professionals carry out pre-sedation assessments and document the result in the patient's healthcare record

  • Offering the child or young person (and their parents or carers) verbal and written information about the proposed sedation technique, the alternatives to sedation and associated risks and benefits

  • For moderate and deep sedation, continuously monitor the child or young person, ensuring that the data are clearly documented in the patient's healthcare record

  • Healthcare professionals delivering sedation should have documented up to date evidence of competency and should ensure they update their knowledge and skills through programmes designed for continuing professional development (CPD).

Specific sedatives for use in dental procedures are also addressed. Dr Paul Averley, a dentist from Teeside and guideline developer, said: 'Sadly in the UK, many children continue to need invasive dental treatment. It is the responsibility of the dentist to control [the child's] anxiety. If sedation is delivered correctly within dental practice, anxious children will be less likely to be referred to hospital where their treatment would be carried out under a general anaesthetic.'

NICE has produced a number of implementation tools including a slide-set and costing report, which can be found at http://www.nice.org.uk/CG112.