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Burk BG, Penherski P, Snider K, Lewellyn L, Mattox L, Polancich S, Fargason R, Waggoner B, Caine E, Hand W, Eagleson RM, Birur B. Use of a Novel Standardized Administration Protocol Reduces Agitation Pro Re Nata (PRN) Medication Requirements: The Birmingham Agitation Management (BAM) Initiative. Ann Pharmacother 2023; 57:397-407. [PMID: 35950625 DOI: 10.1177/10600280221117813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Agitation management is a principal challenge on inpatient psychiatric units. Overreliance on common prescribing strategies of pro re nata (PRN) medication administration is problematic, given the tendencies to have overlapping or unclear indications. OBJECTIVE Piloted project to determine whether a standardized protocol for agitation intervention may reduce PRN medication administration. METHODS The Birmingham Agitation Management (BAM) interdisciplinary team uniquely connected the Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC) for assessment of agitation severity to a standardized PRN medication order set. Nurses on the piloted unit were trained on how to score the BVC and administer medications. Patients were assessed by the BVC every 4 hours and, based on their score, would receive no medication, low-dose benzodiazepine, high-dose benzodiazepine, or high-dose benzodiazepine plus antipsychotic. The primary end point compared the number of PRNs administered after novel protocol implementation with a retrospective cohort. Secondary measures included analysis of medication-related effects, seclusion, and physical restraint rates. RESULTS 377 patients were included in the final analyses (184 pre-BAM, 193 BAM intervention group). No significant differences were seen in patient characteristics between groups. The total number of PRNs administered decreased by 42.5%, with both the mean and median number of administrations decreasing significantly (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.68-5.75]; P < 0.001). A trend was noted between the number of PRNs administered and seclusion rates, but did not reach statistical significance (95% CI = [-7.28 to 60.31]; P = 0.124). CONCLUSIONS In seemingly the first initiative of its kind, we found that a standardized agitation management protocol can help decrease the total number of PRN administrations for agitation without worsening of restraint rates and may possibly reduce the risk of adverse effects. These results require validation in specific, larger populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley G Burk
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Peter Penherski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Kendall Snider
- Department of Regulatory Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Lesli Lewellyn
- Department of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Lisa Mattox
- Department of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Shea Polancich
- Department of Regulatory Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Department of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA.,School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rachel Fargason
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Barry Waggoner
- Department of Clinical Informatics, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Elizabeth Caine
- Department of Hospital Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Wren Hand
- Department of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Reid M Eagleson
- Department of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Badari Birur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
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