Is the RASS a valid and reliable tool for monitoring sedation status over time in ICU patients?
The RASS is a validated scale for monitoring sedation status and detecting changes over consecutive days in ICU patients.
The RASS demonstrated excellent interrater reliability and criterion, construct, and face validity. This is the first sedation scale to be validated for its ability to detect changes in sedation status over consecutive days of ICU care, against constructs of level of consciousness and delirium, and correlated with the administered dose of sedative and analgesic medications.
Ely et al. (Tue,) studied this question.