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Nurses' diagnoses and treatment decisions regarding care of the agitated child

Terri Voepel-Lewis1, Constance Burke, Sue M Hadden

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Section of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0211, USA.

Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing : Official Journal of the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses
|August 17, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric postoperative agitation often stems from pain and anxiety. Nurses

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Nursing Care
  • Postoperative Management

Background:

  • Postoperative agitation is a common challenge in pediatric Post-Anesthesia Care Units (PACUs).
  • Effective management requires accurate assessment and targeted interventions by nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate nurses' diagnoses and treatment decisions for agitated children in the PACU.
  • To identify common etiologies of agitation and the effectiveness of interventions.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of nurses caring for 194 agitated children over 3 months.
  • Data collected on identified causes of agitation and interventions used.

Main Results:

  • Pain (27%) and anxiety (25%) were the most frequent causes of agitation.
  • Interventions for pain and anxiety showed moderate to good effectiveness (48% and 67%).
  • Anesthesia-induced agitation (11%) had varied and less effective interventions (38%).

Conclusions:

  • Assessing and treating pediatric agitation is complex.
  • A decision algorithm may assist in differentiating causes and guiding interventions for agitated children.

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