Patient agitation and its management in adult critical care: A integrative review and narrative synthesis

ConclusionsOur review has shown that there is a dearth of research focusing on care of agitated patients in the Adult Critical Care Unit, despite this being a high‐risk group. There are dilemmas for clinical teams about the effectiveness of applying physical and/or pharmacological restraint. The review has highlighted that the risk of self‐extubation increases with the presence of agitation, reinforcing the need for constant clinical observation and vigilance. Relevance to clinical practiceThe importance of ensuring patients are re‐orientated regularly and signs of agitation assessed and acted upon promptly is reiterated. Early identification of specific patient profiles such as those with previous high alcohol or psychoactive drug habit may enable more proactive management in agitation management rather than reactive. The prompt liberation from the restriction of ventilation and encouragement of family or loved ones involvement in care need to be considered.
Source: Journal of Clinical Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: REVIEW Source Type: research