The applicability of a new sedation scale for intensive care.

Experience of the sedation scale, which was in use for the assessment of ventilated patients, in an intensive care unit revealed a number of deficiencies. Discussion suggested that an ideal scale should be more straightforward and easily understood by all levels of staff. It should also relate closely to the behaviour of the ventilated patient, and allow an optimal level of sedation; where the patient receives the minimum level of medication to allow pain and stress-free ventilation. A scale was devised with explanations of each level, and was incorporated in a revised sedation policy. In practice this was found to be an improvement over the scale that had been used previously.