Agitation is a state of hyperactivity and emotional distress, and it is common among patients who are experiencing medical or psychiatric crisis. At some point, all healthcare workers encounter a patient with agitation in their work.
The first line treatment for addressing agitation—regardless of its cause—is verbal de-escalation. Effective verbal de-escalation helps keep patients and staff safe and facilities definitive treatment.
In this free training, healthcare professionals learn how to identify agitation and initiate verbal de-escalation. This video-based curriculum demonstrates techniques for applying verbal de-escalation in individual and group settings and leading team de-briefs. The final section demonstrates personal safety skills. This curriculum has been demonstrated to improve students’ confidence and comfort in managing patients with agitation and adapted for healthcare professionals in multiple countries.(Simpson, Sakai, Rylander 2020)
Time to complete: About 40 minutes
Authors:
Scott A. Simpson MD MPH, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, scott.simpson@cuanschutz.edu
Melanie Rylander MD, Medical Director, Colorado Community Health Alliance
