Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T14:04:02.206Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

3.15.2 - Managing Aggression in Intensive Care

from Section 3.15 - Psychiatric Disorders Encountered in Intensive Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
Get access

Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. All busy hospitals receive violent patients. Staff should be trained in appropriate reduction and response practices. Make the environment as safe as possible, and plan for a ‘worst case scenario’.

  2. 2. For patients who understand their behaviours, set limits to expressions of anger. Aggression must not compromise others’ care.

  3. 3. Identify specific groups at risk of ‘unpredictable aggression’.

  4. 4. Reducing aggression requires: (1) coordinated, multi-level action; (2) treatment of pain, review of medication and safe prescription of sedatives; (3) consistent nursing staff, extra staffing and a multidisciplinary team approach; (4) family involvement; and (5) psychiatric liaison.

  5. 5. After violent events, document and report events accurately, and debrief all staff involved.

Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
, pp. 437 - 440
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References and Further Reading

Hallman, MR, Joffe, AM. ICU management of traumatic brain injury. Curr Anaesthesiol Rep 2013;3:8997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helmy, A, Vizcaychipi, M, Gupta, AK. Traumatic brain injury: intensive care management. Br J Anaesth 2007;99:3242.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2010. Delirium: prevention, diagnosis and management. Clinical guideline [CG103]. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg103/chapter/1-guidance#treating-deliriumGoogle Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2015. Violence and aggression: short-term management in mental health, health and community settings. NICE guideline [NG10]. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng10/chapter/recommendations#terms-used-in-this-guidelineGoogle Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2015. Challenging behaviour and learning disabilities: prevention and interventions for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges. NICE guideline [NG11]. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng11/chapter/1-Recommendations#general-principles-of-care–2Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×