Agitation as a nursing-sensitive patient outcome in the neurologic patient population

Clinically, nursing has long recognized agitation as a significant patient problem. The adverse effects of agitation are well documented and include increased morbidity and mortality, patient self-injury, increased nursing resources, and increased length of stay. Agitation, however, can be influenced by the nursing care given, and alterations in levels of agitation can provide a measure for the effectiveness of nursing care to reduce agitation and prevent associated complications. This article presents a definition of agitation as a nursing-sensitive patient outcome in the neurologically impaired patient population. The author describes nursing interventions to prevent or reduce agitation, examines current tools to measure agitation, and offers recommendations for further research.