Applicability of four sedation/agitation scales in Portuguese

Introduction

Sedation scales are widely used to guide sedation protocols in the ICU. However, no scale in Portuguese has ever been evaluated.

Methods

Four sedation/agitation scales (RASS, Glasgow Coma Score, Ramsay and SAS) were translated into Portuguese and were applied to 29 patients by four different members of the critical care team (a nurse, a physiotherapist, a physician and a resident). Interobserver agreement was evaluated by weighted kappa.

Results

See Table 1.

Table 1

Conclusion

All scales had a substantial agreement, but the RASS and SAS had the best agreement. We believe that the Portuguese version of these two scales can be used in the ICU to evaluate patients' sedation and agitation.