Consent

• Valid consent is essential for any procedural sedation and analgesia to be performed [14].
• Information should be provided at an appropriate time (not the last moment), to allow for a discussion and patient questions. Risks and benefits must be clearly explained and a distinction between average and personalised risk made [3].
• Alternatives to sedation (typically general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia with behavioural techniques) should be explained also.

Verbal consent may be sufficient but should be recorded in the patient’s clinical notes