A Protocol for the Control of Agitation in Palliative Care

Background:Agitation is a distressing and dangerous behavior for all involved.Objective:To study a protocol effectiveness and safety.Methods:The time when the protocol was initiated and when the agitation was controlled, the number of doses needed and the complications observed were recorded.Results:One hundred and thirty-five inpatients of a palliative care service were included. The most frequent diagnosis was head and neck cancer, 37 (27%). The protocol was used 584 times, from 1 to 31 times on each patient, median of 3 times. Five hundred and thirty-four (91%) agitation episodes were controlled with only the first dose of the protocol, without significant complications.Conclusion:From those results, it can be said that this protocol is effective and safe.