The Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale: Validity and Reliability in Adult Intensive Care Unit Patients
Virginia Commonwealth University · University Health System
Abstract
Sedative medications are widely used in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Structured assessment of sedation and agitation is useful to titrate sedative medications and to evaluate agitated behavior, yet existing sedation scales have limitations. We measured inter-rater reliability and validity of a new 10-level (+4 "combative" to -5 "unarousable") scale, the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), in two phases. In phase 1, we demonstrated excellent (r = 0.956, lower 90% confidence limit = 0.948; kappa = 0.73, 95% confidence interval = 0.71, 0.75) inter-rater reliability among five investigators (two physicians, two nurses, and one pharmacist) in adult ICU patient encounters (n = 192). Robust inter-rater…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 14.15
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 47
Authors
8- CNCurtis N. SesslerCorresponding
Virginia Commonwealth University, University Health System
- MSMark S. Gosnell
Virginia Commonwealth University, University Health System
- MJMary Jo Grap
Virginia Commonwealth University, University Health System
- GMGretchen M. Brophy
Virginia Commonwealth University, University Health System
- PVPamela V. O’Neal
Virginia Commonwealth University, University Health System
Topics & keywords
- Sedation
- Medicine
- Sedative
- Confidence interval
- Intensive care unit
- Intensive care
- Psychomotor agitation
- Mechanical ventilation
- Good health and well-being