Development and Implementation of an Agitation Management Guideline to Reduce Agitation in Patients with Acute Traumatic Brain Injury
$25,000 Award
Project Overview
Our interdisciplinary group developed a guideline to manage agitation in patients following acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) which we anticipate will improve patient and staff safety and promote optimal patient outcomes. We are currently testing this tool among patients diagnosed with acute TBI admitted to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center Neurotrauma Critical Care (NTCC) and Neurotrauma Intermediate Care (MTIMC) units. To understand the impact, we will compare the prevalence of agitation and safety outcomes between patients managed using the guideline and those from a previous study that were managed without the tool.
Project Team
- Karen A. McQuillan, MS, RN, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Gary Schwartzbauer, MD, PhD, FPI, Neurosurgery
- Mehrnaz Pajoumand, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacy
- Paul Thurman PhD, RN, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Alivia Stenzel MS, RN, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Madeline Marks, PhD, Psychiatry
- Nora Tamulevich, RN, BSN, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Alexandra Hunt, MSN, CRNP, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Juli Carbone, OTR/L, CBIS, Rehabilitation Services
- Amy Madren, BS, BSN, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Katelyn Delauter (Ruhe) MS, RN, Nursing, Shock Trauma Center
- Sara Le Maitre, MS, RN, Perioperative Services
- Samantha Latorre, MD, Psychiatry
June 2022 Updates
Following development of a guideline for management of agitation in patients with acute traumatic brain injury by our interdisciplinary team, all Neurotrauma Critical
Care and Neurotrauma Intermediate Care staff were educated on the tool and began routine use on November 16, 2021. Audits performed at least three times a week by the research team on all traumatic brain injured patients in the Neurotrauma units indicate that 100% compliance with the guideline is 85%.
After 6 months of guideline use, 160 patients meeting the study inclusion and exclusion criteria have been identified and interim analysis will be performed to determine the early impact of the guideline use on agitation prevalence among patients with acute traumatic brain injury in the Neurotrauma units.
Project Outcomes
The team has successfully developed, implemented and trained on the use of an agitation management algorithm. More than 850 patient use cases have been analyzed, showing significant improvements with the use of the algorithm for agitation management.
The team plans to broadly disseminate results through additional UMMS facilities, national conferences, and publications. They are also considering developing a similar algorithm tailored for use with patients that have other non-traumatic etiologies of brain injury or dysfunction.