Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, Sleep Disruption, and Neuromuscular Blockade
Score
Term
Description
Procedure
Observe patient. Is patient alert and calm (score 0)? Does patient have behavior that is consistent with rest-
lessness or agitation (score +1 to +4 using the criteria listed above, under Description)?
and look at speaker. Repeat once if necessary. Can prompt patient to continue looking at speaker. Patient has
eye opening and eye contact, which is sustained for more than 10 seconds (score β1). Patient has eye opening
and eye contact, but this is not sustained for 10 seconds (score β2). Patient has any movement in response to
voice, excluding eye contact (score β3).
If patient does not respond to voice, physically stimulate patient by shaking shoulder and then rubbing ster-
num if there is no response to shaking shoulder. Patient has any movement to physical stimulation (score
β4). Patient has no response to voice or physical stimulation (score β5).
Reprinted with permission from: American Thoracic Society. Copyright Β© 2014 American Thoracic Society. Sessler CN, Gosnell M, Grap MJ, et al. The Richmond
Thoracic Society.
Dangerous agitation
Pulling at ETT, trying to remove catheters, climbing over bedrail, striking at
staff, thrashing side to side
Very agitated
Does not calm despite frequent verbal reminding of limits, requires physical
restraints, biting ETT
Agitated
Anxious or mildly agitated, trying to sit up, calms down to verbal instructions
Calm and cooperative
Calm, awakens easily, follows commands
Sedated
Difficult to arouse, awakens to verbal stimuli or gentle shaking but drifts off
again, follows simple commands
Very sedated
Arouses to physical stimuli but does not communicate or follow commands,
may move spontaneously
Unarousable
Minimal or no response to noxious stimuli, does not communicate or follow
commands
ETT = endotracheal tube.
Adapted with copyright permission from: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins/Wolters Kluwer Health. Simmons LE, Riker RR, Prato BS, et al. Assessing sedation during