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De-escalation Techniques for the Agitated Pediatric Patient
Alexandria G Georgadarellis1, Carl R Baum2
1From the Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Emergency Department, Yale New Haven Children's Hospital.
Insights
Pediatric acute agitation requires prompt intervention in emergency departments. This review covers defining agitation, verbal de-escalation, and multidisciplinary management for children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Behavioral Emergencies
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Emergency departments (EDs) present unique challenges for managing pediatric acute agitation.
- Agitation in children is a behavioral emergency necessitating rapid and effective intervention.
- Preventing recurrent episodes of agitation requires timely recognition and proactive de-escalation.
Approach:
- This article defines acute agitation in pediatric patients.
- It explores the key components of verbal de-escalation techniques.
- Multidisciplinary management strategies for agitated children in the ED are considered.
Key Points:
- Effective management hinges on prompt recognition and proactive de-escalation.
- Verbal de-escalation involves understanding specific communication domains.
- A multidisciplinary approach ensures comprehensive care for pediatric agitation.
Conclusions:
- Timely intervention and de-escalation are crucial for managing pediatric agitation in EDs.
- Understanding agitation and employing de-escalation strategies improves patient safety and outcomes.
- Multidisciplinary collaboration enhances the care of acutely agitated children.
Abstract:
The emergency department can be a particularly challenging environment for the care of pediatric patients presenting with acute agitation. Agitation is a behavioral emergency requiring prompt intervention. Timely recognition of agitation and proactive implementation of de-escalation strategies are critical for safe and effective management of agitation, as well as prevention of recurrent episodes. This article reviews the definition of agitation, explores the domains of verbal de-escalation, and considers multidisciplinary management strategies for children with acute agitation.
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