Experiences and attitudes towards agitated behaviours in TBI ICU patients (EXSTATIC): understanding various management practices through qualitative interviews with nurses.

Introduction & objectives: Agitation is a common complication after an acute TBI in ICU patients. Professionals have a range of strategies to address agitation. Yet the absence of evidence-based guidelines and how these strategies are implemented complicates the management and safety may often be compromised for both ICU professionals and patients. This project explores experiences and attitudes of ICU-nurses to better understand the management of agitated behaviors in acute TBI-patients.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 ICU-nurses from two Level-1 trauma centers in Canada. The interviews explored experiences and perceptions of managing agitation in critically ill TBI-patients. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, facilitating the examination of how management practices interface with contextual variables and clinical strategies.

Results: Five themes were identified: (1) a variety of symptoms differing according to patient profile and time since awakening, (2) different agitation management approaches stem from different concerns, (3) strategies used by nurses to manage agitation, (4) contextual factors influence management, and (5) potential opportunities to improve integrated care model.

Conclusions: This research describes nurses' perceptions and helps understand management of agitation, by considering underlying contexts and factors affecting TBI-agitated patients management, how ICU itself contributes to agitation and potential areas for improvement.