Sedation and topical anesthetics in audiology and speech-language pathology. Ad Hoc Committee on Advances in Clinical Practice. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Abstract

Audiologists and speech-language pathologists who participate in or perform procedures on patients who have been medicated for sedation or topical anesthesia should appreciate the complex factors which may expose their patients to risk or harm. Administration of medications to achieve a desired patient state is a medical procedure requiring physician or dentist prescription, physician or dentist approval on the conditions of administration and monitoring, and physician or dentist availability for provision of emergency care that may be required. For these reasons, audiologists and speech-language pathologists should address issues of scope of practice as defined by state licensing boards and institutional regulatory committees, professional liability, and patient and practitioner safety before engaging in procedures on individuals medicated for sedation or topical anesthesia. These issues should be defined in specific, written protocols that the audiologist and speech-language pathologist develop in collaboration with physicians, dentists, and other medical professionals who are responsible for patient care. The protocols should specify responsibility for each aspect of care and limit procedures to professional settings with immediate access to emergency medical care. In all instances, both in development of written protocols and in actual professional practice, the comfort and safety of the patient must be paramount.