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Procedure Sedation Policy
Advice for patients about requests to prescribe sedatives prior to dental procedures and claustrophobia or anxiety before an MRI or CT scan
Dental procedures
GPs will not issue prescriptions for sedating medications (such as diazepam) prior to dental procedures.
Dentists should not direct patients to GPs requesting they prescribes sedating medications, such as diazepam.
If a dentist wishes to prescribe sedating medications for anxious patients that dentist should be responsible for issuing the prescription. The dental practitioner’s formulary, which is the list of drugs a dentist can prescribe, is found on the BNF dental practitioners formulary and includes Diazepam Tablets and Oral Solution.
If the dentist is treating a patient within their practice NHS contract, then the prescription should be on a FP14D form.
If the dentist is treating a patient privately, they should issue a private prescription.
Dentists may contact a GP for information or advice, if, for example the patient has a complex medical history.
Claustrophobia and MRI scans
GPs will not issue prescriptions for sedating medications (such as diazepam) prior to MRI scans.
It’s estimated that every year, approximately two million MRI scans worldwide are not performed because of patients refusing to be scanned or terminating the scan early due to claustrophobia.
There are many resources online that can help prepare patients on what to expect during a scan including step by step explanations and videos of MRIs being performed. In more severe cases, the NHS website suggests that mild sedatives are an option for people with severe MRI anxiety. However, guidance from The Royal College of Radiologists states that a ‘trained and credentialed team should administer sedation and analgesia’, that ‘patients requiring sedation should undergo pre-procedure assessment and have a sedation plan’ and that ‘sedated patients should be appropriately monitored’.
This means that GPs are not in a position to prescribe these medications for MRI scans.
If you think you need sedation for an MRI scan, this needs to be discussed with the radiology team.
What this means for you
If you are worried about having a scan:
- Please tell your GP when the scan is requested, or
- Contact the radiology department before your appointment
They can review your needs and arrange the right support, including sedation if it is appropriate.
Important information
To keep patients safe and ensure proper care, we will not prescribe sedatives for imaging procedures, even if requested by another service. If support is needed, this should be arranged by the hospital team.
CONTACT DETAILS
The Montefiore Medical Centre
Dumpton Park Drive
Ramsgate
Kent
CT11 8AD
Tel: 01843 855 800
PRACTICE POLICIES
Find out more about the policies and procedures we adhere to at East Cliff Practice
Registered address: Camburgh House, 27 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3DN