Updates on the Best Practices For the Management and Treatment of Agitation-View Presentation Slides

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The document is a presentation by the American Psychiatric Association on best practices for managing and treating agitation, particularly in emergency settings. It outlines key strategies for healthcare providers, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and treating agitation early to improve patient outcomes and staff safety. The presentation introduces "Project BETA" as an evidence-based guideline for managing agitation, addressing topics such as psychopharmacology and verbal de-escalation.<br /><br />Agitation is characterized by excessive verbal or motor behavior, and it can be a symptom of various underlying causes, including medical conditions like delirium, psychiatric disorders, or as a response to fear or trauma. It's identified as a medical and behavioral emergency, significant enough to account for 1.7 million ER visits annually in the US. The document stresses the need for a cultural shift in healthcare settings to prioritize treating agitation as seriously as other symptoms like pain or fever.<br /><br />The presentation outlines learning objectives, including understanding the importance of treating agitation across all care venues and recognizing how it affects both patients and healthcare professionals. It also emphasizes the harm of under-treating psychiatric illness due to overemphasis on medication risks.<br /><br />Different tools for assessing agitation are discussed, such as the Broset Violence Checklist and Behavioral Activity Rating Scale, which are used to gauge the severity of agitation and guide treatment decisions. Pharmacological options, including antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and newer treatments like inhaled loxapine, are analyzed for their effectiveness and application in emergency settings.<br /><br />Ethical considerations are highlighted, advocating for patients' rights to receive adequate treatment, and lamenting the disparities seen in care, especially among racial minorities who experience higher restraint usage. The economic and organizational impacts of managing agitation, such as costs related to restraints and implications for staffing and patient throughput, are also addressed.<br /><br />Overall, the document serves as a comprehensive guide for healthcare providers on managing agitation effectively, backed by research and best practice recommendations.

Keywords

agitation management

emergency settings

Project BETA

verbal de-escalation

psychopharmacology

Broset Violence Checklist

Behavioral Activity Rating Scale

antipsychotics

patient rights

healthcare disparities