Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale

Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale
PurposeDetermine level of agitation or sedation

Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) is a medical scale used to measure the agitation or sedation level of a person. It was developed with efforts of different practitioners, represented by physicians, nurses and pharmacists.[1][2]

The RASS can be used in all hospitalized patients to describe their level of alertness or agitation.[3] It is however mostly used in mechanically ventilated patients in order to avoid over and under-sedation. Obtaining a RASS score is the first step in administering the Confusion Assessment Method in the ICU (CAM-ICU),[4] a tool to detect delirium in intensive care unit patients.

The RASS is one of many sedation scales used in medicine. Other scales include the Ramsay scale, the Sedation-Agitation-Scale, and the COMFORT scale for pediatric patients.

  1. ^ Curtis N. Sessler, Mark S. Gosnell, Mary Jo Grap, Gretchen M. Brophy, Pam V. O'Neal, Kimberly A. Keane, Eljim P. Tesoro, and R. K. Elswick "The Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale", American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol. 166, No. 10 (2002), pp. 1338-1344. doi: 10.1164/rccm.2107138
  2. ^ Stawicki SP "Sedation scales: Very useful, very underused", OPUS 12 Scientist, Vol. 1, No. 2 (2007), pp. 10-12.
  3. ^ Ely EW, Truman B, Shintani A, Thomason JW, Wheeler AP, Gordon S, Francis J, Speroff T, Gautam S, Margolin R, Sessler CN, Dittus RS, Bernard GR. Monitoring sedation status over time in ICU patients: reliability and validity of the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS). JAMA. 2003 Jun 11;289(22):2983-91.
  4. ^ "Monitoring Delirium in the ICU". ICUdelirium.org. Retrieved 2015-04-28.